Let the Games Begin
by phoebenpiper
Summary: The Minister's last-minute order forces the ARC staff to stay in London & work during the Olympic Games, despite assorted housing and personal issues. A sequel to "Bend It Like Becker" though you don't need to have read it. Jess/Becker, Abby/Connor, Emily/Matt, & Lester. COMPLETE! Last two chapters posted!
1. Ch 1 BREAKING BAD NEWS

Let the Games Begin

a Primeval fanfic by phoebenpiper

...

[Author's note: This is a sequel to "Bend It Like Becker", but you needn't have read it to understand this story. I started this awhile ago, so I hope to update with a new chapter about every four days or so. Enjoy!]

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Chapter 1 - BREAKING BAD NEWS

...

"Jess," Abby said as she approached the hub, a look of concern on her face. "I'm afraid I have some bad news."

Jess spun around in her chair, her heart instantly racing. She hated when people prefaced their comments with such a statement - she'd much prefer they simply get on with the bad news instead of allowing her time to imagine scenarios of her own, for she was brilliant at coming up with potential bad news: Rex was sick. The coffee machine in the canteen had broken down again. Becker was cancelling their date for tonight!

By the time Abby actually continued a split second later, Jess had come up with zillions of even WORSE scenarios, thankfully none of which were true.

"It seems Connor and I won't be signing the papers for our new place today. Apparently our estate agent has decided to delay our closing so that he can rent it out to foreigners for the Olympics. Can you believe that a three-week Olympic rental is as much as our entire down payment? It's insane! So I guess I can't really blame him, but still, it's not exactly fair, not to us and especially not to you, since now you're stuck with us for awhile longer."

Abby stopped, as if she were finished.

"So," Jess prompted anxiously, "what's the bad news?"

Abby laughed. "That was it. Connor and I won't be moving out till the end of August."

Jess breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, that's not so bad. You know I love having you two as roomies, or I else would've kicked you out ages ago."

Abby shrugged. "I know. But I'm sure you'd like to be rid of us. Especially now that you and Becker are..."

She trailed off suggestively, causing Jess to blush. She and Becker had only been out on a few dates thus far, but Abby was constantly apologising for her and Connor being around. Jess didn't really mind - she wanted to take things slowly with Becker, and seeing as how it'd taken him two years to finally ask her out, he didn't really have any room to complain! But she wasn't about to go into such details about her love life, not with Abby anyway.

"I've told you before, it's not a big deal," Jess said vaguely. "If Becker and I want some privacy, we can always go over to his flat. Besides, it's not as if it's going to matter anyway, since he's leaving town tomorrow."

"Becker, too?" Abby asked - clearly it was the first she'd heard of it.

Jess nodded. "Estate agents aren't the only ones cashing in on the Olympics, you know. It's crazy how much money he's getting for his tiny single bedroom. Besides, he's using it as an excuse to go stay with his parents. First proper holiday he's taken since starting at the ARC, you know."

"Oh yes, I forgot to ask. So how was his dad's retirement ceremony anyway?" Abby gave a knowing smile, leaning in to ask more quietly, "And by ceremony, of course I really mean how did Becker look in his dress uniform?"

Jess flashed on the image and could feel her cheeks instantly going red.

"That good, huh?" Abby teased.

"You can't even imagine," Jess said, smiling dreamily.

"Oh no, I can," Abby said. "Though photos would be nice."

Jess nodded. "Yeah, sorry, I didn't have time to download them when I got back last night, but as soon as we get home this afternoon I'll-"

"Parker!"

Jess turned to where Lester had barked her name from the door of his office. "Yes?" she replied cheerily, despite her guv'nor's grumpy tone.

"Contact all senior staff and tell them to meet in my office immediately." And with that he went back inside and slammed the door.

"Somehow," Jess said, turning towards Abby, "I get the feeling HIS bad news is going to be ACTUAL bad news!"

...

As the senior staff poured into Lester's office, Becker frowned. He still wasn't quite sure when exactly Emily had become "senior staff". The new ARC's policy was to only hire military personnel, and clearly Emily didn't qualify. And whilst Abby and Connor had gotten around that rule by being grandfathered in, Becker knew for a fact that Emily hadn't been previously employed by the ARC, as it didn't even exist during Victorian times.

Not that Becker minded having Emily on the team. She was fearless and resourceful and a surprisingly good shot, especially considering her upbringing. But Becker guessed that her presence on the team had less to due with those admirable qualities and more to do with her relationship with the team leader.

If "relationship" were even the correct term for it. Becker was infinitely perplexed at what exactly was going on between the pair. Clearly they liked each other, or else Matt never would've brought her back to this time. Ever since her return, Emily had been staying at Matt's flat, and the couple were even going away on holiday together. Yet, according to Jess, the two weren't sharing a bed. Perhaps that explained why Matt seemed so cranky of late.

It certainly explained Becker's crankiness. As he watched Jess enter Lester's office in yet another teasingly-short skirt, Becker gave a frustrated sigh, thinking about their impending date tonight. However, he didn't have much time to dwell on all the things that he and Jess probably WOULDN'T be getting up to tonight because Connor, entering the office last, shut the door just as Lester began the meeting.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news," their guv'nor began, and Becker was amused to hear Jess's annoyed sigh, knowing how much she despised the phrase. Lester, however, simply went on, "I just got off the phone with the Minister."

"PLEASE don't tell us he's signed us up for another footy match," Connor whined. "I've barely recovered from the last one as it is."

Lester shook his head. "I'm afraid it's far worse than that. The Minister, in his infinite wisdom, has spontaneously decided, as of today, that the upcoming Olympic Games present a huge security risk for the country. As such, he doesn't want to leave anything to chance, and thus he's sent down orders that all ARC personnel must report to work for the entire three-week period."

A general outcry sounded throughout the room.

"So our holiday's cancelled," Emily stated more than asked, looking none too pleased.

Lester nodded. "Everyone's are, I'm afraid. The Minister has insisted that, barring your own deathbed, everyone is to be at work every day...or possibly night. It seems he also wants the ARC fully staffed at nights and weekends instead of the usual skeleton crew, just in case of emergency." Lester looked to Jess to add, "I'll need you to come up with a schedule for everyone - I trust you can work one out."

Jess nodded, but Becker barely noticed as he was merely seeing red.

"And the Minister waited until today to announce this WHY?" Becker growled - leave it to a bureaucrat to wait until the last minute!

"Yeah, earlier would've been appreciated," Matt said placidly. "Our reservations are non-refundable."

Non-refundable reservations were the least of their problems! They were being enslaved, forced into service at the last minute per the Minister's whim, yet no one seemed that upset. What the hell was wrong with everyone? Why weren't the others fighting this?

"This is ridiculous!" Becker raged. "My bag's packed; I'm off first thing tomorrow. He can't do this to us!"

"He can, and he has," Lester said calmly.

"What's he going to do - hunt us down and drag us back in chains? We can't force us to work. Besides, where the hell am I supposed to stay?"

"LOOK!" Lester snapped, causing everyone to jump. "We're all in the same boat here! So rage all you want, but it's not going to help!" Under his breath, he added, "Believe me, I've tried."

Becker was shaking with fury, but he knew from Lester's comment that it was hopeless. Knowing their guv'nor, he'd surely done his best for them, and clearly he'd lost. There was nothing to be done now but accept it.

But it didn't mean Becker had to be happy about it!

...

to be continued


	2. Ch 2 THE MORE, THE MERRIER

Let the Games Begin

a Primeval fanfic by phoebenpiper

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Chapter 2 - THE MORE, THE MERRIER

...

After leaving the armoury, Jess headed straight for the menagerie, suddenly overwhelmed with guilt. She knew she shouldn't have invited Becker to stay at her flat without checking with her roomies first, but it had just kind of happened.

He'd seemed so angry at the meeting, she'd been worried about what he might do and thus had followed him. Of course, she should've guessed that he'd head straight for the firing range to try to blow off some steam, and startling him as he'd cocked his weapon had only put him in a worse mood.

So Jess had done what she always did - she blurted out the first thing that came into her mind.

"You can stay with me."

Becker had stared at her, an eyebrow raised in either disbelief or perturbance, she hadn't been quite sure which. Regardless, she'd quickly continued on, "There's plenty of room in my flat. You won't be any bother. And we can all commute in together, since I've already worked out the best route to avoid the ORN." She'd smiled, now that the possibilities were starting to flood her mind - nothing but Becker 24-7! What could be better? "C'mon - it'll be fun!" she'd enthused.

After much grousing, and some persuasive kissing, he'd finally come round to the idea. She knew he was upset about not getting to see his parents, but now that his living arrangements were taken care of, hopefully he could start to see the positives in all this.

However, SHE was now starting to see the negatives. First off, she hoped Abby and Connor wouldn't be mad, since for the time being it was their flat as well. More importantly, though, she hoped they wouldn't tease her mercilessly. They were constantly giving her grief about Becker as it was, so they were liable to make a bigger deal over Jess's friendly invitation than she'd meant it to be.

So Jess hurried into the menagerie, hoping to break the news to Abby quickly AND to nip any teasing in the bud! As luck would have it, Connor had just arrived a moment before, for she walked in on him giving his fiance a hello kiss.

"Oh, good," Jess began, utterly unfazed by their PDA, "I'm glad I caught you two together."

"Jess," Abby said, pulling away from her fiance. "You're here. Good, because I need to talk to you both."

Before Jess could speak, Connor blurted out, "I invited Lester to stay with us."

The two girls turned and stared, barely able to compute his comment.

"You did what?" Abby asked.

"Lester?" Jess repeated, certain she'd misheard.

Connor nodded. "I know, I know, I should've asked you two first. But he seemed so upset because his wife sublet his place here in the city for the Games, and now that his holiday's cancelled, he was going to have to make that long commute in every day and, well, he did put me up when you kicked me out of the flat way back when, Abby, so's I felt I owed him."

Jess couldn't believe it. "But where's he going to sleep?"

Connor shrugged. "On the sofa, I guess."

"But that's where Becker was going to sleep." As her two roommates turned and stared, Jess confessed, "Yes, I invited Becker to stay. He was so- well, you saw him- and he had a gun in his hand, so what was I supposed to do? Leave him homeless and armed?"

Connor laughed. "Oh well - the more, the merrier, eh?"

"If that's the case," Abby gave a grim smile, "then we'll be a right merry bunch."

Something in her tone made Jess nervous.

Connor must've noticed, too, for he tentatively asked, "What'd you mean?"

Abby shrugged sheepishly. "I kind of invited Matt and Emily to stay with us, since they're out of their flat as well."

Jess felt like she'd been kicked in the stomach. Seven people in one flat! But then the possibilities started to form in her mind.

This could be jolly good fun!

...

This was so not how Becker had planned to spend his evening. Sure, he was still spending it with Jess, but a quick meal followed by repacking his bags back at his flat could hardly be considered a real date. And to be honest, he'd kind of been hoping that, with it being his last night in town, she might want to give him a farewell to remember her by. But now, seeing as how he WASN'T leaving, he knew he couldn't rightfully expect much from her tonight.

Other than her annoyingly optimistic attitude!

"So I know you're gutted that you can't go on holiday," Jess said cheerily as they returned to his flat after dinner, "but at least you saw your parents this weekend, yeah?"

He knew she was only trying to make him feel better, but she couldn't have chosen a worse topic. After all, he could've avoided this entire mess if he'd simply left this weekend and stayed away. But oh no, he'd decided that it would be fun to take Jess to see his father's big retirement to-do. Of course, that decision had nothing to do with Becker's awareness of the effect dress uniforms tended to have on girls. But while Jess had, as anticipated, swooned at his uniform, she hadn't done much else...other than ingratiate herself to his entire family, that is. Gwen already adored her, but now his parents thought she was lovely as well. Of course, he wanted his parents to adore her, but now he was certain to get nothing but pressure from them, whether the relationship succeeded or not. So why had he thought this was a good idea?

Of course, since he'd had to drive her back to the city afterwards anyway, he'd figured it made sense to work one last day before heading out to the country again for his holiday.

The best laid plans...

"The ceremony was so lovely," Jess continued as Becker headed straight for the kitchen to put on the kettle - at the very least perhaps they could have a cuddle on the sofa before he got down to repacking. "As were your parents," she went on as she got down two cups from the cupboard. She then opened the refrigerator and gasped. "Where's the milk?"

"I tossed everything already. I'm leaving tomorrow, remember?" Becker grumbled before remembering that he wasn't - or at least not in the way he'd planned. Somehow he felt this was going to be worse, being in London but knowing he couldn't go home, knowing that strangers were living in his flat, using his dishes, sleeping in his bed.

"Then let's forget about the tea," Jess said, flicking off the kettle and giving him a quick peck on the lips. "And let's forget about your missing holiday." She gave him another peck, which he attempted to lengthen by leaning into her as she pulled away. She giggled and said, "And let's just concentrate on the fact that we'll be spending lots of time together these next few weeks."

She reached up and put her arms around his neck, and he quickly accepted her invitation and pulled her close.

After a minute or so, Jess pulled away, teasing, "So is it all forgotten now?"

"All of it," Becker said, kissing her again. "I've forgotten all about my lost holiday." Another kiss. "And how disappointed my parents will be." And another. "And how I'll have to sleep on that incredibly uncomfortable sofa of yours."

As Becker went in for yet another kiss, he suddenly felt Jess tense up. He paused and looked at her, instantly concerned. Instead of smiling, she suddenly looked sheepish. He let go of her and took a step back. "What?" he asked, dreading what her answer might be.

"Well, on the bright side," she began hesitantly, "you might not have to sleep on the sofa."

That certainly didn't sound like an invitation to sleep in her bed. He raised an inquiring eyebrow, not sure he wanted to hear her explanation.

"See, you're not the only one left homeless by all this, you know?" Jess began. "And...it seems...Abby kind of invited Matt and Emily to stay at the flat."

"What?"

Jess nodded. "Yeah, and Connor sort of invited Lester as well."

Becker just stared. Was she serious? Yes, he could tell by her expression she was. Brilliant! Just brilliant! As if this couldn't get any worse.

"It'll be fun. I promise."

Jess certainly had a warped concept of "fun"!

Becker stormed out of the kitchen and headed for his bedroom. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard! As if losing his holiday weren't bad enough, now he was going to be sharing a flat with not three but SIX of his coworkers! He badly wanted to shoot something!

Instead he grabbed up his holdall - the one he'd packed last night so that he wouldn't have to worry about it tonight in case their date went long - and threw it angrily on the bed. Tossing it open, he started yanking out his holiday clothes, slamming them down on the bed. He then stomped over to a locked trunk, where he'd temporarily placed his clothes so those renting his flat could use his chest of drawers, and flung it open. He grabbed out several of his black uniform tees and practically threw them into his bag. Then it was back to the trunk for his black combat trousers. Just the sight of them made him growl under his breath - he hadn't had a proper holiday in over three years, and the fact that it was being so unfairly ripped away at the 11th hour made him suddenly resent the very work that he loved so dearly. After stuffing his trousers into his holdall without even bothering to fold them properly, he turned back to the trunk to instead find Jess standing in front of him, blocking his way. She placed her hands on his shoulders and gently but firmly sat him down on the bed.

"Just calm down," she said with a reassuring smile. "It's all going to work out - you'll see."

Becker rolled his eyes - the last thing he needed right now was her optimism. "Jessica, I'm not in the mood for-"

Suddenly Jess's lips were on his, and his anger seemed to drain away in an instant. Their kisses in the kitchen a moment ago had been fun, but this one was heated and much more intense. After a moment, Becker lay back on the bed, pulling Jess down with him, and soon all thoughts of lost holidays and flat-sharing were swept away as his hands started to roam across her back.

However, they didn't get very far for Jess soon broke away from the kiss, rolling off of him and sitting up as she asked breathlessly, "So...are you ready to come live with me now?"

Becker nodded obediently, and Jess grinned down at him.

"See?" she said smugly, "I knew you'd see reason once you calmed down."

Calmed down? After a kiss like that? Was she kidding? What was she trying to do, kill him?

And starting tomorrow, he'd actually be living with the girl!

Hmm. Perhaps this wasn't such a bad idea after all.

...

to be continued


	3. Ch 3 SCHEDULING SCHEMES

Let the Games Begin

a Primeval fanfic by phoebenpiper

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Chapter 3 - SCHEDULING SCHEMES

...

"Hey," Abby said, walking up to the hub. "It's past noon. Aren't you planning on taking your lunch break?"

"Yeah, in a minute," Jess answered absently, not even looking up from the slips of paper she was frantically trying to sort.

"What're you working on?"

"The schedule," Jess answered, moving a slip labeled "Connor" from one location to another before thinking better of it and returning it to where it had started.

"Oh, right," Abby said. "It must be difficult to figure out a work schedule for all of us when we're not used to being fully staffed 24/7."

Jess stopped and stared at Abby, momentarily confused as to what her flatmate was talking about. Then her brain caught up with her ears and she blurted out, "Oh, not THAT schedule. I finished that hours ago. No, I'm working on OUR schedule."

Now it was Abby's turn to look confused. "'Our' schedule?" she repeated.

Jess nodded. "There's to be seven of us sharing ONE toilet. If we don't have a schedule, I don't know how any of us will make it to work on time." She picked up a slip labeled "Abby" and asked, "What would you think of brushing your teeth at the kitchen sink?"

Abby laughed, taking the paper from her flatmate's hand. "I'd think you were overthinking things, Jess. You don't need to be putting yourself through this - everything's going to work out."

Jess frowned - couldn't Abby see how complicated things were liable to get? Unlike the work schedule, where Jess had simply been able to fill slots randomly with various members of the ARC staff, this sort of schedule meant that people weren't interchangeable. For instance, it would certainly make a difference if Emily ended up sharing a bed with Lester!

But Abby didn't seem too worried about it. Patting Jess on the back, she said, "C'mon, let's go eat. You can worry about this after lunch."

Jess, however, shrugged off her flatmate - she knew she wouldn't be able to relax and enjoy lunch until she had more of the schedule settled. "I'll be along shortly."

"Jess...," Abby began scoldingly, so Jess insisted, "Really, I won't be too long, I promise."

"Okay," Abby said warily, clearly not believing her flatmate. "Just don't work all through lunch."

"I won't," Jess said with a smile, grabbing back the slip of paper with Abby's name on it before turning back to her schedule.

However, she wasn't true to her word, for the next thing she knew, Becker was walking up to her asking, "Are you okay? You weren't at lunch."

Jess glanced at the clock on the monitor - 1:30 already! Where had the time gone?

"Sorry," she said. "I just got a little-"

"Obsessed?" Becker concluded, raising a sardonic eyebrow.

"I suppose," she conceded before smiling at the handsome soldier, thinking how lucky she was that she'd be spending so much time with him the next three weeks. She gave a dreamy sigh before remembering that she had a question for him. "Oh, and I wanted to ask you something," she said, giving him what she hoped was a persuasive smile. "What would you say to a shower tonight?" Becker's eyebrows went up in surprise, and she quickly continued, "Please? I know you usually shower in the morning, but I would love-"

"Yes," he jumped in. "Absolutely." He flashed her a smile as he added, "Whatever you want."

"Oh, thank you," she gushed, turning back around to her giant scheduling chart and moving Becker's name to its new location. "I just couldn't figure out how to work the schedule otherwise. I mean, seven people sharing one bath - there was no way everyone could take one in the morning. I mean, it's not just an issue of time but hot water as well, you know."

"Oh," Becker said, sounding strangely disappointed as he glanced at the chart which was now, thanks to his conciliation, complete. "Right. A schedule."

"Now I just need to type everything up so I can give everyone a copy when we get back to the flat tonight."

As she opened up a new spreadsheet and began frantically typing, Becker wandered off, and she could've sworn she heard him mumble something about hot water not really being an issue.

...

Once everyone had arrived at the flat after work, Jess gathered them all in the living room. Becker could tell the others weren't pleased to be there either, but Jess was trying her best to cheer everyone up with her perpetually sunny attitude. She stood in front of the telly and began, "Now I've called you all here-"

"The butler did it!" Connor quickly interjected with a huge grin.

Becker rolled his eyes - he wasn't sure he'd be able to live with Temple for three whole weeks without killing him - but Jess blithely went on as if she hadn't been interrupted.

"-to go over some flat rules. Now I know most of you aren't exactly thrilled at the prospect of being here-"

"THAT'S an understatement," Lester grumbled, looking even more miserable than the others.

"- but with the right attitude," Jess went on, unfazed, "I think we'll all be able to survive the next few weeks as flatmates-"

"We are NOT flatmates!" Lester protested.

Becker saw Connor roll his eyes and mumble, "Oh Lord, not this again."

"Again?" Emily asked. "You two were flatmates before?"

"Yes," Connor replied as Lester gave an insistent, "No! Absolutely not! That was purely a temporary, emergency situation. I couldn't very well have the ARC breaking basic Health and Safety codes simply because Abby chucked him out."

Matt's eyebrows raised in amusement. "She chucked you out?"

"Yes," Connor answered as Abby protested, "No, it wasn't like that! My baby brother was in town. What was I to do - leave him out on the streets?"

Becker nodded, mumbling under his breath, "Would've caused fewer problems."

"Can we PLEASE get back on track?" Jess asked, sounding frazzled. She then took a deep breath before smiling and continuing, "Anyway, so I realise that seven people in one flat is going to get rather crowded. Thus, in order to have at least SOME semblance of privacy for everyone, Abby and Emily will both sleep in my bedroom while the rest of you-"

"Oi!" Connor interjected. "You mean I don't even get to sleep with my girlfriend?"

While Matt gave Connor a sympathetic pat on the back, Emily smiled at Jess, saying, "Yes, I would like that."

Abby, however, didn't look quite so pleased. "But will all three of us even FIT in your bed?"

"Not a problem," Jess said. "We used to sleep three to a bed all the time back at school."

Connor grinned. "I could stand to hear a bit more."

Becker could as well but wisely kept his mouth shut as Connor received a scolding swat from his fiance.

"ANYWAY," Jess said, "I've written up a schedule for the boys so they can take turns in the other bed and out here."

"Not 'boys'," Lester insisted. "MEN, please."

Emily, Abby, and Jess shared a look before concurring in stereo," Boys!"

"So, can I make a suggestion?" Connor asked, raising his hand as if in school. "Since it is MY bed, and since, as soldiers, Matt and Becker are likely used to bunking on the ground anyway, I think it'd make sense if I got to sleep in my bed every night."

Becker didn't much care, but Lester clearly did not like this suggestion.

"Well, as I could fire any of you at a moment's notice simply on a whim," their guv'nor stated, pointedly looking at Connor, "I think it'd make more sense for ME to get the bed."

"I'm fine with the sofa," Matt offered.

This was a nice gesture, but Becker quickly shot the team leader a warning look. Having slept, or at least ATTEMPTED to sleep, on Jess's sofa before, Becker was well aware that a bed of nails would be more comfortable.

"I don't care who sleeps on the sofa, I just think I should-" Connor began, but Jess interrupted, clearly exasperated.

"Whatever! You boys can sort it out later amongst yourselves." She gave a frustrated sigh before trying to regain her sunny attitude. "Anyway," she said with a composed smile, "I've made everyone their own key, so you may come and go as you please. I've printed out several maps to help you avoid the ORN, but traffic will probably still be a bear, so I think it'd be wise to carpool when possible in order to get to work on-time. And speaking of, I've made up a schedule for the morning." She handed out a copy of the multi-paged document along with a flat key to each person as she continued. "PLEASE try to follow this as best you can. I colour-coded it, so it should be easy to follow. And...I think that covers everything," she momentarily concluded before quickly adding, "Oh, and please make yourselves at home. Feel free to help yourselves to any food you can find. And if you need anything or have any questions, you need only ask."

Connor raised his hand. "Can I sleep with Abby?"

Jess rolled her eyes. "No!"

Though Becker somehow felt that her answer wasn't going to be the final word on that subject.

...

to be continued


	4. Ch 4 A CALMING KISS

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 4 - A CALMING KISS

...

Jess lay in her darkened bedroom, staring up at the ceiling, trying to remain as still as possible. Blinking was the only movement she dared make, and she wondered what time it was, how much longer she'd have to lie here.

It had seemed like such a good idea on paper. Having the three girls sleep together in her bedroom had made perfect sense, allowing them a male-free haven where they could escape for some privacy if needed. However, in practice, Jess realised it wasn't quite the brilliant scheme she'd thought.

First off, the bed seemed tiny and thus extremely crowded. Jess now realised she and her friends must've still been children when they'd slept three to a bed, for the three grown women barely fit side by side. Jess had volunteered to be in the middle, trying to be a good hostess, but she was now severely regretting that decision. She tended to get extremely cold in her sleep, and thus her unconscious mind was not unlike a heat-seeking missile, snuggling close to whatever warmth she could find. At first thought, this wasn't such a big deal, for surely Abby and Emily would understand and not judge her too harshly for whatever she might unintentionally do in her sleep.

But as they'd turned off the lights and said their goodnights, it had occurred to Jess that both Abby and Emily had spent extended periods stranded on the other side of the anomalies. They had both survived by honing their defensive skills, by reacting instinctively to any perceived threats. Which meant that if Jess were to accidentally bump into them in the night, let alone huddle against them for warmth, she was liable to be attacked as a potential velociraptor before she or her bedmates were even fully awake.

So now, in fear of her life, Jess was trying to lie as still as possible, terrified she'd disrupt her friends' sleep with catastrophic results.

Which would be bad enough in itself, but lying here now, her mind was free to churn on all that had happened before bedtime.

The whole evening had been nothing short of a disaster. As she'd said during her introductory pep talk, with the right attitude, the next few weeks could go smoothly. But no one, it seemed, HAD the correct attitude, and their incessant grousing was starting to wear on her, particularly Connor's. It wasn't as if she were completely depriving him of his fiance, so why was he acting like it was the end of the world to spend a few nights without Abby?

And Jess had done her best to play hostess to the others, but it seemed she couldn't please anyone. No one could agree on what to watch or listen to, resulting in endless rows. Emily had finally retreated to Jess's bedroom to read by herself, which meant Jess couldn't escape from Connor in the privacy of her own room. Finally she'd gotten so upset by everything that Becker had taken her hand and led her into the dining room, which was stacked almost to the ceiling with Abby and Connor's moving boxes, affording them at least a bit of privacy.

"You okay?" Becker'd asked as he'd shifted several of the boxes in order to free up two chairs.

"No," Jess had answered, nearly hysterical, as Becker set her down. "I'm trying really hard to make everyone feel welcome, but no one seems happy, and I don't know what more I can do. Lester keeps asking - no, not asking, DEMANDING - things, but with Abby and Connor's stuff all boxed up for their move, it's nearly impossible to find anything, and I don't even know what you and Matt are going to use for pillows tonight. And Connor simply won't let me be. He keeps harassing me about the sleeping arrangements, and I tried to explain to him why it makes more sense for the three girls to sleep together, but he won't-"

At this point, her hysteria had been suddenly interrupted by Becker leaning in to give her a tender kiss. But this had merely upset Jess more, and she'd quickly pulled away. "What are you DOING? Aren't you even LISTENING to me?"

Becker had frowned but instantly sat back, still holding onto her hand as he'd patiently prompted, "Go on...Connor keeps harassing you?"

Nodding, Jess had continued, telling the soldier all about Connor's incessant attacks. When she'd finally finished, Becker had raised his eyebrows expectantly, as if inquiring as to whether she were really done, before commenting, "I'm sorry Temple's being such a prat. But don't judge him TOO harshly. Remember, Jess - he and Abby were sleeping together even BEFORE they were 'sleeping together'."

Jess hadn't followed. "Huh?"

"Think about it, Jess. You read their files. Connor and Abby may have come back from the Cretaceous a couple, but they weren't one when they followed Helen through the anomaly. Yet I'd be willing to bet they didn't spend a single night apart on the other side, being all alone together in that hostile environment. So Connor wanting to sleep with Abby - I think it's about more than just sex. I think it's about the two of them wanting to feel safe and secure in each other's arms."

Jess had never thought of it that way before, but it made sense. No wonder Connor was acting so terrible about being separated from Abby. Not that Jess was going to give in to his desires, since him and Abby sleeping together simply didn't fit into the schedule, but at least she was able to see his requests in a more empathetic light. Becker's insight had totally calmed her down such that she'd been able to face the rest of the time before bed in a cheerier mood.

But now, lying here in the dark between the two sleeping warrior women, Jess realised that she'd never thanked Becker for calming her down. Worse than that, she'd yelled at him for simply kissing her. And that's when it suddenly hit her - clearly he'd kissed her in an ATTEMPT to calm her down. After all, isn't that precisely what she'd done to him the previous night? So he HAD been listening, he DID care about how upset she'd been. Now she felt such a fool! She couldn't believe she'd yelled at him when he'd simply been trying to help! What must he think of her?

It wasn't until sometime after 2am, after hours of lying stock still, berating herself in the darkness, that Jess finally dozed off into a restless slumber.

...

Becker awoke to his watch alarm and quickly shut it off so as not to wake the others. He stretched in the darkness, trying to work out the kinks from having slept on the floor, but accidentally bumped his arm against something. Craning his neck to see, he was amused to find Matt on the floor nearby, especially as that's not where the team leader had begun the night.

"Morning, Becker," Matt greeted drily, clearly having already been awake.

Becker nodded. "So," he began, gesturing towards the sofa, "how long you last?"

Matt shrugged. "Not sure - an hour or two?"

Becker raised his eyebrows, clearly impressed by the team leader's fortitude under such torturous conditions.

"Going for a run?" Matt asked.

Becker nodded as he stood up and began neatly folding his blankets. "You?"

Matt shrugged and sat up. "Might as well."

The two soldiers quietly got dressed in the darkened living room and then headed out for their run together in silence. Becker liked to run in the early morning - it got his blood flowing and helped to clear his mind. But today his mind couldn't stop thinking about Jess. He was only now realising just how different she truly was from him. Not that that was necessarily a BAD thing, it was just keeping him on his toes, constantly having to adapt because she never seemed to react as he'd anticipated.

Take last night, for example. He'd assumed that kissing her when she was growing hysterical would calm her down and distract her from her problems - it had certainly done so for him. Thus he was surprised - and, admittedly, a bit disappointed - when it had had the exact opposite effect. The last thing he'd wanted was to further upset her, and he felt guilty that he'd inadvertently added to her stress. But letting her talk it out had seemed to work wonders, for afterwards she'd even seemed able to handle Temple calmly and rationally. Becker was glad the damage he'd caused wasn't irreversible, and he made a mental note to himself not to make the same mistake again.

Becker was so wrapped up in these thoughts, however, that he ran much farther than he'd intended, so by the time he and Matt returned to the flat, the others were already starting to rouse. Matt hurried upstairs to take his shower, according to the schedule, as Becker changed into his work clothes. Tucking his holdall neatly into the corner, he almost tripped over Connor, who'd clearly fallen for Lester's empty threats and given his bed up to his guv'nor.

Becker frowned at the sight of him, though, certain that Connor still being asleep at this hour was not on Jess's schedule.

"Temple," Becker said, quietly but firmly, causing Connor to awake with a loud, melodramatic yawn. Becker rolled his eyes, wondering how he was ever going to survive the next few weeks with everyone.

A loud sound suddenly distracted the soldier, and he expectantly turned towards the kitchen. Someone was running down the stairs at a breakneck pace, and a moment later Abby scurried into sight, frantically rushing straight towards the kettle.

"Oi!" Connor exclaimed. "Abby! What you doing?"

"We're already two minutes behind schedule," Abby replied as she filled the kettle with water and then started setting up Connor's coffee maker.

"That's not what I'm talking about."

"Oh, you mean the kettle? Well, Emily prefers tea in the morning," Abby explained, "so we need both-"

"Abby, I'm not talking about the kettle! I'm talking about how you're dressed - or NOT dressed, as the case may be!"

It wasn't until Connor spoke that Becker even registered that Abby was only clad in her vest and knickers.

The blonde glanced down at her own outfit, seemingly confused. "What?"

"Abby, we've got company. You can't just walk about the flat in your underwear."

She shrugged. "Why not? It's not like Becker cares."

Of course, Becker didn't care, nor even much notice; however, he did care that Temple was now glaring at him as if he'd done something untoward.

"Well, maybe *I* care that Becker don't care," Connor said in an accusatory tone.

Becker rolled his eyes - how had he suddenly become a part of this row? Thankfully he heard the hot water stop running upstairs, so he quickly changed the subject by commenting, "The shower's free."

"Oh, I'm next," Abby exclaimed. "Becker, can you finish this for me? Jess will be upset if this isn't done on schedule."

Becker nodded. "I'll take care of it. Go," he insisted as Abby turned and scurried back up the stairs - after all, the last thing they needed was an hysterical Jess first thing in the morning!

...

to be continued


	5. Ch 5 JEERS & CHEERS

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 5 - JEERS & CHEERS

...

Jess couldn't stop yawning. Having barely slept all night, she'd hoped that spending her morning decorating Ops would help her wake up, but it simply hadn't done the trick. She was pleased, however, that at least the place now looked cheerier, so all her hard work hadn't been for naught. With the banner hung and the streamers in place, Jess hopped off the chair and hurried back towards the hub, hoping another sip of her canteen coffee might help stave off her drowsiness. However, she didn't get far before the bell on the lifts chimed and Lester's voice rang out.

"What the bloody hell is all this?"

Jess scurried over to her guv'nor, who looked in none too good a mood. "Good morning, Lester. Did you have a meeting first thing?" she asked, curious as to why she hadn't seen him earlier.

"No, you know damn well I didn't have a bloody meeting."

Jess frowned. "You mean you're just getting here?" she asked as she followed him up towards his office.

"Of course I'm just getting here - traffic was a nightmare! I don't know how they expect our city to function when they've turned the entire metropolitan area into a bloody circus. Those Games Lanes are a total farce - how are we to get anywhere? And could they be any less clear? I mean, they've got a road sign indicating the Games Lanes are being enforced, yet right next to it there's a digital sign flashing that we may use them! How are we to know which to follow?"

"The lanes were designed to be flexible," Jess explained patiently as Lester tossed his briefcase down upon his desk - hadn't she informed the staff about them weeks ago?

"I wish those bloody fines were flexible. £130! 'We don't want enforcement, we want compliance,' the transport officer said, but it didn't stop him from giving me the ticket. He didn't even blink when I told him I work for the Minister - what's the point of working for the government if you can't get out of a simple traffic ticket? And then, as if that weren't bad enough, I was almost run over by one of those bloody team busses."

Jess shook her head. "What were you even doing near the ORN? Didn't you follow the map I gave you?"

"I followed my sat nav - your map had me driving miles out of the way."

"And miles away from the ORN," Jess said pointedly. "You know, following my suggested route, the rest of us all managed to make it to work on time...early, in fact," she added with a frown, hoping Becker remembered that he still owed her a REAL coffee later. "But don't worry - I'll go on the site and print you out another map before you head home tonight. It'll be a breeze - I promise."

She turned and started to exit the office, but Lester stopped her. "And just what do you think you're doing out there?" he asked with disdain as he gestured towards Ops.

Jess followed his glare through the office windows but couldn't help but smile at her handiwork. "Isn't it lovely?" she asked, quite pleased with herself. Just looking at the colourful decorations cheered her up immensely, and she hoped it would do the same for her stranded coworkers.

Lester rolled his eyes. "And who exactly gave you permission to turn the ARC into one giant Olympic advert?"

"The Minister, of course." Lester raised a dubious eyebrow, and she quickly went on, "In a sense. After all, he's the one insisting that everyone must stay here and work. And people work best when they're happy. So instead of letting the Games get everyone down or become a symbol for their lost holidays, I thought it would be a good idea to rally forth their patriotic pride. To make them see that our nation is going to prove to the world that we're up to this task. That we're going to put on the best Olympics ever. That Team GB will -"

"Please, enough!" Lester said, exasperated, as he sat down. "It's too early in the morning for such an inspirational speech. Go...watch _Chariots of Fire_ or something."

Jess rolled her eyes and hurried out of the office, but it was already too late - the damn theme song was going to be stuck in her head for the rest of the day.

...

"Oi!" Connor said, rushing towards the hub at a breakneck pace. "Why didn't anyone tell me I'd missed the opening ceremonies?"

"Because you haven't," Becker explained patiently. "The opening ceremonies aren't till Friday."

Connor gestured to the giant hub monitors that were clearly displaying a footy match. "But these are the Olympics, yeah?"

Becker nodded. "First match - Team GB versus New Zealand." He couldn't believe he'd actually used the phrase "Team GB", but it was hard not to, with Jess's giant "Go Team GB" banner suspended overhead.

Connor frowned. "So I missed 'em!"

"Missed what?" Emily asked, walking up.

"The opening ceremonies."

Emily frowned. "I thought those weren't till Friday."

"They're not," Becker said, starting to lose his patience with Temple.

"But they're already playing," Connor insisted, gesturing towards the screen.

Emily nodded. "Yes, the way I understand it, they need additional time for football in order to get all the elimination rounds out of the way."

"But then the Games have already started, and I missed it."

Becker's frustrated sigh was loud enough to catch Jess and Abby's attention.

"You okay?" Jess asked, giving a big yawn as she turned towards them in her chair.

"No," Connor insisted. "I don't get why the Games have started when they haven't opened yet."

Jess opened her mouth to speak, but Becker's look must've convinced her it was pointless to argue. Instead, she whirled back around to her computer, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she said, "Connor, did you see this from yesterday?"

Connor hurried up to look at the small window she'd just opened, a broad grin on his face. "Jean-Luc Picard carrying the torch. That's brilliant."

Becker thought Jess was pretty brilliant herself - she knew just how to distract Temple.

"Oh, and Abby," Jess said, turning enthusiastically to her other flatmate, "did you hear what we missed last night? The Olympic torch went through Walford."

"Seriously?"

Jess nodded. "Billy Mitchell got to run it all round Albert Square. Just as Lola was giving birth, too!"

"What? I can't believe we missed that," Connor said, sounding truly disappointed.

"But it's all right," Jess explained. "It's on the DVR, so we can watch it later."

Emily turned to Becker. "I didn't know a friend of theirs was with child."

Becker shook his head, rolling his eyes - he didn't feel up to the task of trying to explain how the lines between fiction and reality were suddenly blurring, thanks to the Games.

Luckily he didn't have to explain their _East Enders_ comments, for Emily's attention was suddenly drawn to the monitor. "Why did she dive so early?" she asked, hurrying over to get a closer look at the match.

"That's the Kiwi keeper," Abby explained. "We WANT her to dive early."

"Especially if it means it gives us a chance to score," Connor explained.

"Not likely to happen if they keep playing like that," Becker grumbled as the ball was passed and the goal opportunity was lost.

"Oh, and we must keep a look out for Neela," Jess said.

"Neela's on the Olympic team?" Emily asked, clearly impressed.

Jess shook her head. "No, she's just at the match."

"How'd she manage that?" Connor asked.

Jess shrugged. "I think she bought her tickets the day they went on sale."

"No, I mean how'd she manage getting out of work?" Connor clarified. "Ain't she supposed to be here, with the rest of us?"

Jess gave a self-satisfied grin. "Sometimes it pays to be friends with the maker of the schedule."

"But we're friends," Connor insisted. "So how come you won't let me sleep with Abby?"

"Let it GO, Temple," Becker grumbled, walking up and putting a soothing hand on Jess's shoulder. She'd seemed much calmer today - not counting her meltdown this morning over not stopping for frothy coffee - but he didn't want to risk her falling apart again like she had last night. Jess, however, gave him a friendly smile before returning her attention to the monitors.

"Yes! Good block!" Emily cheered, her eyes glued to the match.

"Wrong team," Abby said, sounding a bit put out. "We're the ones in white."

Emily shrugged. "It was still a good block, whether it was our team or not," she insisted as the half-time whistle blew.

Becker sighed. It was going to be a long three weeks.

...

to be continued


	6. Ch 6 CAFFEINATING & CELEBRATING

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 6 - CAFFEINATING & CELEBRATING

...

Jess frowned as Becker pulled his car up to the kerb and stopped. "What are you doing?" she asked, confused. "Why are you parking here?"

"It should be fine," he assured her. "It's not a Zil Lane."

But that wasn't what was concerning her. "I mean, why are we stopping here? We should be headed home - Matt and Emily were pulling out right after us."

"Matt and Emily have a key to your flat, remember?" Before Jess could protest, Becker went on, "Believe me, no one will think less of you as a hostess if you're not there to greet them at the door."

Jess smiled - Becker must've read her mind.

"Besides," Becker continued, climbing out of the car and then leaning back in to finish, "I still owe you from this morning."

Jess wasn't sure what he was talking about until she realised they were around the block from her favourite coffeehouse. Grasping his hand, she beamed, "You remembered!"

"It was kind of hard to forget," he teased, causing Jess to blush. She hadn't meant to pitch such a fit this morning, but her sleep deprivation had made her more desperate than usual, and she'd made her displeasure clear when Becker had refused to stop. He'd had a good point - they didn't know how long it would take to get to work, with all the Olympic traffic - but she hadn't exactly been awake enough to see reason. But clearly he wasn't holding it against her as he paid for both her coffee and chocolate chip scone and then led her to a quiet corner table.

As she raised her warm coffee to her lips, she was overcome by a sudden yawn which seemed to go on forever.

"Sorry I'm boring you," Becker commented drily, and Jess frantically shook her head.

"You're not! I promise!" she quickly protested, setting down her cup to take his hand.

Becker shook his head. "Hey, don't let me get in the way of you caffeinating - clearly you need it."

Jess smiled and took a sip of the refreshing liquid, giving a satisfied sigh.

"I take it I'm forgiven then?" Becker teased.

"Oh, of course. And I hope you'll forgive me for this morning, for being so..."

"Adamant?" he asked, raising an amused eyebrow.

Jess laughed. "That's a nice word for it."

Becker shrugged. "I have to be nice. Otherwise you won't let me do this." He leaned forward to give her a kiss, but his lips had barely brushed hers when her mobile rang.

"Sorry," she apologised as she pulled her phone out of her handbag. "Hey Emily, what's up?"

"We cannot determine how to turn on your television, and I would like to watch the next match."

"Oh, there's a power button somewhere on the side, but you'll need the remote to change channels."

"And where might we find the remote?"

"That's an excellent question," Jess said, causing Becker's eyebrows to rise inquistively. She shook her head, letting him know it wasn't anything he need concern himself with, as she answered, "It's meant to be in the box next to the sofa, but with everyone fighting over the telly last night, I don't know where-"

"Never mind. We have found it."

Jess quickly rung off and turned back to Becker, smiling at him. "Now where were we?"

He smiled back. "I believe," he said, moving in towards her, "we were right about-"

Once again Jess's ring tone sounded. Becker sat back, emitting a frustrated sigh, as she quickly picked up. "What's wrong?"

"Which way am I supposed to turn on Langham?" Lester demanded.

Jess rolled her eyes. "Well, what does the map say?"

"If I could read the bloody map, I wouldn't be calling you!"

Jess sighed. "Hold on - let me look it up." As she pulled her mobile away from her ear to look up the site, Becker gave her a look and she whispered, "It's Lester - I'll just be a minute."

Becker took a long drink of his coffee as Jess frantically looked up the alternate route and gave Lester the directions aloud.

"Sorry," Jess said as she rung off.

Becker shrugged, nodding towards her coffee. "You best drink up before it gets cold."

"I'm okay with cold coffee," she said, reaching across the table and taking Becker's hand. She was pleased to have time alone with him and wanted to savour every minute. "So how was your day?" she asked with a smile.

But Becker merely rolled his eyes. "We work together, Jess - you see me all day."

"Not ALL day," she insisted.

He nodded. "Oh yes, I forgot, I wasn't around when you suddenly lost your mind and decided to cover every centimetre of Ops in garish decorations."

"They're not 'garish'! Besides, I did all that for you." Becker raised a dubious eyebrow, and Jess quickly amended, "You and all the others who had to cancel your holidays. I thought it'd brighten your spirits to be reminded how important these Games are to the nation. And how fun they can be, too. I'm so excited our women's team won their first match today - we're off to a perfect start!"

Becker shook his head, smiling.

"What?" she asked nervously.

"You never cease to amaze me, Jess," he mumbled, causing a pleased flush to warm her face. "I mean it. You're just...so..."

"Amazing?" Jess offered teasingly.

Becker laughed. "You always put everyone else's needs before your own."

Jess shook her head, insisting, "But I like the Olympics."

"You know what I mean. You're always so selfless, always thinking of how to help others, to make them feel better."

"I don't know," she said, leaning towards him. "Asking you to stay at my flat wasn't entirely selfless on my part."

He leant forward to meet her, but as if on cue, her mobile rang once again. Becker angrily grabbed her phone from the table and answered it himself, snapping, "What do you want, Temple?" After a moment he frowned. "You LIVE there, Temple! Why don't YOU know where they are?" Another pause, and Becker let out a frustrated sigh as he handed Jess her mobile.

"What do you need, Connor?" she quickly asked.

"We need more towels, and Abby's and mine are already all boxed up."

Jess nodded. "The extras are packed in the trunk at the end of my bed."

A moment later he replied, "Found 'em. Thanks, Jess."

"Anything else?" she asked before ringing off.

"Oh yeah, Abby wants to know if you'll be home for dinner."

Jess frowned, not certain how to answer. She wanted to stay out with Becker, but she also felt she was needed at home. "Well..." she began tentatively.

But Becker made the decision for her. He grabbed her mobile, answering, "Tell the others we're on our way," before ringing off and pointedly shutting off her ringer.

"C'mon," he said, standing up and pulling out her chair. "You can drink the rest on the drive."

"But...," she began, but he cut her off with a shake of his head.

"Hey, this is me being selfless," he said, leading her back to his car. "Besides," he added, holding open the car door for her, "if we're lucky, we might...run into some traffic."

Jess smiled at the suggestion and, as Becker walked around to the driver's side, surreptitiously looked up the map of the ORN on her mobile, planning a diversion that just might get them stuck in a tailback long enough for a brief snog!

...

That evening, Becker sent Jess upstairs shortly after halftime of the last match. Not that he didn't enjoy having her snuggled against his side, especially after their date at the coffeehouse had been cut short, but clearly she needed to get to bed earlier rather than later. She'd been having a hard time keeping her eyes open all evening, despite the afternoon coffee, so Becker suggested she take his place on the evening shower roster. She eventually made her way upstairs, after another quick kip against his chest, and her sudden absence left him chilled. With her gone, he might've settled down to sleep himself, if he could've. But since his bed was once again going to be the floor here in the front room, he simply sighed and settled in to watch the rest of the match with his coworkers.

Emily, however, didn't stay much longer. Shortly after Jess made her way upstairs, Emily announced that both the Colombian and North Korean keepers were rubbish and disappeared up to the bedrooms herself. Becker gave Matt a sympathetic look before returning his attention to the telly.

As the final whistle blew, Abby sighed. "I feel bad for the Colombians. Imagine working so hard and coming all this way and then losing on the first day."

"Even before the opening ceremonies," Connor pointed out, causing Becker to roll his eyes.

"But they're not eliminated yet, yeah?" Matt pointed out. "They still get to play two more rounds before the quarter finals."

Abby nodded. "Yeah, I suppose there's still room for hope."

"But we got no cause to be sad," Connor insisted. "Our team won - imagine what that must feel like!"

Matt agreed. "I'd imagine there'll be loads of celebrating tonight."

"Oh, there will be," Connor said, giving a wicked grin. "Didn't you hear? The London Organising Committee ordered 150,000 condoms for the Olympic Village."

Becker coughed. "'150,000'?! Whatever for?"

Matt gave him a wry look. "I think you know they're for, mate."

Becker rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but...150,000? Aren't there only, like, 10,000 athletes? That's insane."

"No, that's foresight," Abby insisted.

"Yeah," Connor agreed, "they only ordered 70,000 for the Beijing Olympics, and those ran out, so they had to rush order another 20,000."

Matt nodded. "Imagine, someone actually planning ahead for once."

"But still," Becker insisted, "it's...unbelievable. 150,000!"

"Actually it makes perfect sense," Abby explained. "Think about it. You've got a large group of young, super-fit athletes, at the peak of their careers, having trained intensely for years, eager to release some of that competitive energy, now suddenly forced to live together in a small, enclosed space - what else would you expect?"

Lester glanced about the room nervously. "I expect you lot not to get any ideas!"

Becker sighed - the Olympians, it seemed, were living life to the fullest right now, yet he had to wait to be stuck in traffic to get a kiss from his girlfriend. Hell, he was even LIVING with Jess, yet all he could hope for was a quick cuddle on the couch. Not that he begrudged these moments with her, but all this talk of condoms was making him more than a little frustrated.

Lester, oblivious to Becker's lot, went on, "And just imagine the poor bureaucrat having to sign off on all that paperwork. What must've that line item looked like?"

"Protection?" Abby offered with a smile.

"Yeah, I'm certain they'll do a more thorough job protecting the athletes than G4S," Lester concluded.

"That's because G4S didn't have the foresight." Abby stood up with a yawn, announcing, "And on that note, I'm off to bed." She leant down to give her fiance a kiss before heading for the stairs with a friendly, "See you all in the morning."

After she'd disappeared, Connor gave a frustrated sigh. "If the Organising Committee had wanted to save money, they should've hired Jess to be in charge of the Olympic Village sleeping arrangements."

Becker frowned, annoyed that Temple wouldn't let it go...and, more importantly, that he was probably right!

...

to be continued


	7. Ch 7 PARIS PARLEYS

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 7 - Paris Parleys

...

After combing out her wet hair and brushing her teeth, Jess came into her bedroom to find Emily already lying in bed, reading a large tome. Jess leant down to read the cover of the book and frowned. "Victor Hugo?"

Emily glanced up at her friend. "Yes. He is a magnificent storyteller. Have you read him?"

Jess shook her head as she walked around the bed and crawled into her place in the middle. "But I do love the story. Oh, and if you haven't seen it yet, we should go - it's still playing in the West End."

Now it was Emily's turn to frown. "'Playing'?" she echoed back. "_Les Miserables_ is a play, then?"

"A musical," Jess corrected.

"A musical what?"

Jess wasn't sure how to answer. "Just...a musical. Don't you know musicals? They're like operas, only less..."

"Posh," Abby concluded, entering the room and stripping down to her skivvies.

Jess nodded. "You'll love it, Emily. The songs are beautiful. And it's so sad - I cried like a baby when Eponine died in Marius's-"

"Jess!" Abby scolded as she, too, climbed into bed. "Don't spoil the ending for her!"

"Oh, it is not spoilt," Emily insisted. "I have read it before."

"Then why are you reading it again?" Jess asked curiously.

Abby laughed. "Like you haven't read every _Harry Potter_ a zillion times," she teased as she extinguished the light on her side

Before Jess could defend herself, Emily replied, "I thought it'd be the perfect book to read on holiday, to put me in a proper temper."

Jess frowned. "You wanted to be miserable on holiday?"

"No." Emily sighed. "We were to be in Paris, you see."

Now it made sense, of a sort, though Jess was surprised that she'd never heard their intended destination prior to now.

"Paris, huh?" Abby asked, obviously unfamiliar with their travel plans as well.

"Yes," Emily answered. "We were to be a week in Paris and then a fortnight travelling down the Loire River Valley."

"Sounds lovely," Jess said.

"Yes," Abby agreed, "I must ask your advice at some point. Connor and I have talked about France for our honeymoon."

"A honeymoon in Paris!" Jess said with a sigh. "It doesn't get more romantic than that! Oh Abby, I wish I were in your shoes. Don't you, Emily?"

Jess, however, felt Emily instantly tense up next to her. In lieu of replying, the former Victorian merely closed her book and, setting it on the nightstand, turned off the bedside light.

After a moment of lying in the darkness feeling guilty, Jess blurted out, "I'm sorry, Emily. I know how awful it must be to have your holiday ruined. I didn't mean to rub it in."

But Emily continued to lie on her side in the darkness, her back to Jess, saying nothing. Abby, too, had her back to Jess and was already breathing slowly, leaving Jess once again staring up at the ceiling, unable to sleep.

It seemed like an age before the quiet voice spoke.

"I spent my honeymoon in Paris."

It was so soft, Jess might've thought she'd imagined it, were it not for Abby suddenly rolling over to face the middle. "I'm sorry," the blonde girl said soothingly. "That must be hard."

"So why did you want to go there on holiday?" Jess asked, confused.

After a moment of stillness, Emily, too, rolled over to face the middle. "To exorcise my demons, I suppose."

Jess felt Abby nod her head on the pillow. "You're taking it back."

"'Taking it back'?" Emily repeated, confused.

"It's something Connor always says. Whenever he has bad memories of a place, he'll say we need to 'take it back', to have some good times there instead to make it our own again."

Through the darkness, Jess could see Emily smile. "Yes. I like that. 'Taking it back.'"

Jess frowned. It was bad enough for Becker's trip to be cancelled, and he had only needed a little R clearly Emily had needed her holiday for a much more important reason. "Stupid Games!" she blurted out. "I'm sorry they forced you to cancel your trip."

Emily shrugged. "I will be all right. After all, Paris isn't going anywhere."

As the room descended into stillness once again, Jess realised she, too, wasn't going anywhere, as both Emily's and Abby's knees were now holding her firmly in place. Jess sighed - it looked like it was going to be yet another sleepless night.

...

When Becker awoke the next morning, Matt was already waiting up for him. Becker quickly threw on his running clothes and was halfway to the door when he remembered to grab his mobile. Hurrying back to grab it, he discovered he'd received a text last evening.

"Everything okay?" Matt asked, obviously having seen Becker's frown.

The soldier nodded. "From my parents," he explained.

"Rubbing it in?"

They weren't, but it certainly felt that way. His parents had taken it amazingly well when he'd called them to cancel - whilst disappointed, they both respected his commitment to his job and understood that, in a sense, his country needed him and therefore they'd simply have to do without him for the next few weeks. Having just seen them on the weekend almost made the separation worse, for he'd been reminded of precisely what he was now missing.

Of course, the photo of yesterday's picnic his mother had just sent wasn't exactly helping either.

"Let me just...," Becker said, gesturing towards his mobile, and Matt gave a patient nod. Becker quickly typed out a reply:

**Wish I were there, too. Looks like ur enjoying urselves. No emergencies at work yet, & hoping there won't be any. Jess sends her love.**

He quickly deleted the last and retyped, **Jess says hi. **before pressing send. He then tucked the mobile into his pocket and headed out.

As the two set up a pace, Matt asked, "So how'd they take it?"

It took a moment for Becker to realise what he meant. "They understand. My dad was military, so..." He finished in a shrug.

Matt nodded grimly, and Becker had to wonder what Matt's relationship with his father had been like.

The two ran in silence for a bit as Becker's mind mulled things over. He had desperately wanted to be on holiday, but now he was wondering if perhaps staying behind wasn't for the best. After all, his parents seemed more than a little pushy about Jess. Texts were one thing, but he could only imagine what his parents might've been asking had he been there in person. While he was pleased that they liked Jess, he hadn't been prepared from them to be quite so head-over-heels. Considering how new everything still was, he didn't appreciate the pressure, and it occurred to him that his holiday in the country might not have been quite as relaxing as he'd hoped, making him strangely grateful, all of a sudden, to be stuck here in London.

The same was probably not true for Matt however, though Becker wasn't even sure where the team leader would've been had their trips not been aborted.

"How about you?" Becker asked. At Matt's curious look, the soldier elaborated, "Where were you meant to be?"

"Paris."

Becker raised an eyebrow. He really couldn't envision Matt in the city of love - it just seemed so...French.

Matt shrugged. "Emily's idea," he explained. "Curious to see how it's changed over the years, I suppose."

Becker nodded - that made more sense. He could only imagine how different the Paris landscape must be from her time, and he spent the rest of the run trying to remember when exactly all the Paris landmarks had been built.

Once back at the flat, Matt headed up to the shower as Becker got dressed. He then turned on the kettle and Connor's coffee maker before settling down on the sofa. He glanced once again at the photo his mum had sent him and then started searching the web on his mobile.

"The Eiffel Tower?"

Becker jumped at the sound of Jess's voice, not even having heard her come down the stairs. She came around the back of the sofa and sat down next to him, glancing curiously at his mobile.

"Wanted to know when it was built," Becker explained briefly.

"Late 1800s, right?" Jess asked.

Becker nodded before asking, "What are you doing down here?"

"Wanted to make sure everything was on schedule," she said, gesturing towards the kitchen as she gave a big yawn.

Becker gave a wry smile. "You run a tight ship."

"Of course," she said, popping to her feet. "Got to make sure we leave on time - otherwise YOU won't let me stop for my coffee." She grinned, giving him a quick peck before running back upstairs.

Becker watched her go and then turned back to his mobile, realising, all things considered, he'd much prefer texts from his parents and kisses from Jess than the other way around.

...

to be continued


	8. Ch 8 TORCHES & TERRORS

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 8 - TORCHES & TERRORS

...

"I wish the torch route went by us," Jess sighed wistfully as she and several others gathered about the hub after their lunch break. It was only the second day of having the Games to watch, but Jess had already forgotten what work was like without them. "It would've been ever so much fun to see the torch in real life rather than simply on the screen."

"Yes," Emily agreed. "I would have quite enjoyed that."

"Lester wouldn't have," Matt pointed out. "No doubt he would've complained about the potential security issues."

Sadly, Jess could practically hear Lester going on about the hoi polloi congregating on the streets outside the ARC and decided perhaps it was for the best that they were stuck watching the monitors. "Oh well," she said, "at least everything's televised so we don't have to miss out."

Emily nodded. "It is still astounding to me that we can watch all these events here as they happen."

"Welcome to the 21st century," Connor teased. "I'll bet all this is pretty new to you, eh, Emily?"

"Actually, they held an Olympic Games at the Crystal Palace in '66," she said. "Of course, it was national, not international, in scale, and only 'gentleman amateurs' could compete, but the principles were mostly the same. '_Citius, Altius, Fortius'._"

"Wot?" Connor asked.

"Faster, higher, stronger," Jess helpfully translated the Olympic motto.

"No, I mean '66? You sure, Emily?" Connor asked. "'Cuz I thought this was the 30th Olympiad, which would've put the first in the, what, 1890s?"

"Technically the FIRST was in Ancient Greece," Matt stated drily before walking off to get some actual work done.

"And yes, Connor, I am certain," Emily said, sounding a bit put out. "I was there."

In the meantime, Jess had frantically done a google search. "Here it is, and you're both right. Connor, the International Olympic Committee was formed in 1890, with their first Games held in 1896. But there were several forerunners to these, including Games in Shropshire, Liverpool, and the ones Emily mentioned here in London."

"Cool," Connor said. "Just wanted to confirm my maths weren't getting rusty."

Becker wandered over, gesturing to the torch relay on the monitor. "Why don't you have the Games on?"

"They're in between matches right now," Jess explained.

"And Team GB don't play till almost 8 tonight," Connor pointed out.

Becker nodded, glancing at the screen. "So where's the torch at now?"

"Sloane Square," Jess said, who'd been tracking its progress on the map in the corner. "Oh, look who it is!" she added excitedly, pointing to where Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders were now taking the torch.

"_Ab Fab_!" Connor exclaimed as Jess brought up another window next to the live feed.

Emily, however, looked horrified. "Should they be doing that?" she asked as one of the actresses appeared to light her cigarette with the torch.

"Oh, that's not real, that's just Patsy," Jess explained.

"But that is the Olympic torch, yes?"

Connor shook his head. "Well, not really. I mean, that one, yes," he said, pointing from one window on the monitor to another, "but that one ain't - it's just a prop."

"See the two running with the torch there?" Jess said, pointing to the live feed, "That's the real torch. But this," she said, pointing to the advert she'd linked to, "is the two actresses on a comedy special from the other night."

"_Ab Fab_," Connor concluded.

But Emily shook her head. "I still do not think it is appropriate for them to be using the torch like that," she said, shaking her head as she stormed off.

Connor turned to Jess. "Should we go explain it to her again?"

"No, but that reminds me. You know what we forgot last night?"

Connor grinned. "_East Enders_."

"Perhaps we can watch it before the Team GB match tonight. I can't wait to see the REAL torch in Albert Square."

Becker shook his head. "It's no wonder you're confusing Emily," he mumbled as he wandered off.

Jess frowned at the implication. She knew precisely what was real and what wasn't. The reality of the situation was that having the Games to enjoy in the evenings meant there were no arguments over what to watch, which helped Jess to relax. And she was looking forward to the reality of snuggling against Becker on the sofa all evening - considering the lack of sleep she'd gotten the past two nights, Jess knew that kipping against the handsome soldier might be the only real rest she'd get tonight!

...

"Abby!"

Becker awoke with a start at the sound of Connor's cry. Instantly jumping to his feet, the soldier peered through the darkness, trying to discover the potential threat. Through the dim light, however, all he could make out was Connor, sitting bolt upright, breathing heavily and dripping with sweat as he stared wild-eyed into the night. Becker started across the room towards the lad, but Matt's voice stopped him.

"It's a night terror. Go get Abby."

Becker gave an affirmative nod and sprinted up the stairs. He was almost past Jess's room when he remembered that Abby wasn't in her own bed. Turning back, he placed his hand on Jess's doorknob and then paused, feeling awkward bursting in on the girls unannounced. However, he didn't want to wake the others if he didn't have to, so he quietly opened the door and poked his head inside.

Jess, however, instantly sat up, almost as if she hadn't been asleep. "Becker?" she gasped, clearly surprised to see him at this late hour.

But before he could respond, before he could say something soothing to put her mind at ease, two things happened almost simultaneously - Abby and Emily both sprang out of bed, instantly poised for combat, whilst Jess curled up, terrified, into a cowering ball, shielding her head as she cried out, "I'm not a raptor! I'm not a raptor!" Becker found the entire scene somewhat surreal, which wasn't helped by the fact that it was all being eerily lit by Jess's green shoe-shaped nightlight.

Abby was the first to come to her senses. "Becker?" she breathed out in relief, lowering the bedside lamp she'd been wielding. "What is it?"

"It's Connor...," he began, but clearly that was all she needed to hear. Abby instantly tossed the lamp onto the bed, eliciting a squeak of terror from Jess, who still had her eyes clamped shut. Becker barely had time to get out of Abby's way as the blonde raced out the door and down the stairs in her vest and knickers.

"What about Connor?" Emily asked. Becker noticed that her defensive posture, not to mention the gleaming dagger she still held at the ready, were in sharp contrast to the floor-length white cotton nightgown she wore, making her look like some deranged heroine from a bad Victorian gothic novel.

"Is Connor okay?" Jess asked, tentatively peaking out at Becker from beneath her shielding arms.

"Yeah, he'll be fine," Becker said, imagining Abby already at her fiance's side, tenderly easing him awake. "Just a nightmare."

Emily nodded, and Becker could instantly tell, even through the dim light, that such dreams were not unfamiliar to her. She lowered her dagger and carefully tucked it back beneath the mattress, which made Becker smile - a girl after his own heart!

Yet the girl who actually owned his heart was still cowering beneath the sheets, shaking. On instinct, Becker hurried towards the far side of the bed, asking worriedly, "Jess, are you okay?"

Jess nodded and relaxed her position, finally convinced that the danger was gone. Becker picked the lamp up off the bed and, setting it back on the table, automatically switched it on. Having grown accustomed to the darkness, all three grimaced and blinked their eyes against the sudden glare.

"Anyone care for a nightcap?"

Becker glanced over to find Matt standing in the doorway, a bottle of Carolans in his hand.

"Matt. What are you doing in here?" Emily asked, instantly reaching for her robe.

Matt replied with a nonchalant shrug. "I thought you all might need some help falling back asleep."

From Emily's smile, Becker guessed this wasn't the first time Matt had been on hand to soothe her after an upsetting late-night terror. Yet she wasn't whom Becker was concerned about at present.

As she and Matt struck up a private conversation, Becker sat down on the edge of the bed next to Jess. "You weren't asleep," he whispered, deeply worried. It suddenly occurred to him how tired she'd seemed at work these past few days, and he felt like a prat for not taking notice of her sleep deprivation before now. "Are you okay? Is something wrong?"

Jess shook her head, her cheeks flushing pink with embarrassment. "I'm fine," she muttered, clearly wanting to drop the subject.

But Becker wasn't so easily deterred. He stared at her doubtfully, his eyebrows raised, until Jess finally relented.

"Yes, okay, I haven't been sleeping well. But you know, it's hard to doze off when you're certain Xena or Buffy might attack you at any minute."

Jess sounded so pathetically earnest, Becker wanted to wrap her protectively in his arms. No wonder she'd been so quick to hide from the other girls - she'd been living in fear of such an attack all week. He realised he couldn't even consider mentioning Emily stashing her dagger beneath the mattress or Jess might never sleep again.

"Jess, you can't go on like this," he said, gently caressing her forearm to calm her. "We've got to do something about the sleeping arrangements."

"What about the sleeping arrangements?" Matt asked, and Becker looked up to find the team leader staring at him, clearly amused.

Jess, however, turned and gave Becker a panicked look, and he could tell she was desperate to keep the reason for her sleeplessness a secret. Realising it would be easier to deal with Matt's teasing than Jess's discomfort, Becker merely replied, "Perhaps we should rethink Abby and Connor sleeping apart."

"Oh yes - Connor! How is he?" Jess asked Matt after shooting Becker a thankful smile.

Matt shrugged. "Abby's dealing with him." Although he stopped there, Becker could tell Matt had wanted to give the two some privacy, and thus the excuse of the nightcap.

Although a nightcap wasn't such a bad idea. Jess could definitely use something to help her sleep. And since they were stuck together with Matt and Emily in this small bedroom, she was just going to have to make do with some alcohol.

...

to be continued


	9. Ch 9 SLEEPS & ARROWS

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 9 - SLEEPS & ARROWS

...

Jess awoke feeling the most rested she'd been in days. It was amazing, especially considering their late-night topic of conversation.

After Matt had passed the bottle around and the bedside lamp had been dimmed, the talk naturally returned to Connor.

"Does he do this often?" Matt asked.

Jess shook her head - it was Abby, in fact, who tended to have more nightmares, though Jess usually slept through those. "Only rarely. He should be fine in the morning."

Though Jess wondered how she'd be, after the extreme rush of adrenaline she'd just experienced. She could still feel the heat coursing through her veins, though the Irish cream was slowly helping to abate its effects. As was Becker, who lay by her side in the darkness, tenderly stroking her arm.

Jess started to feel so relaxed, in fact, that she spontaneously started talking about her own nightmares. She easily admitted that her worst dreams involved her sitting at the hub, watching helplessly as the others were torn to shreds by various creatures. She didn't bother to mention, however, that, on the few occasions she'd had such nightmares, it was always Becker being ripped apart in front of her eyes...or that she sometimes awoke still hearing his screams in her ear.

"And how about you, Matt?" Jess asked, not really expecting an answer from her taciturn coworker. "What do you dream about?"

There was a pause before he spoke. "Home."

His answer was brief, but it spoke volumes, casting a pall on the room as they all considered the deeper meaning of his answer.

It was Emily who finally broke the silence. "As a child, I always had bad dreams about being trampled by a runaway horse-and-carriage."

Jess shook her head. "So what do you dream about now? Being hit by a car?"

"No," Emily said simply, with little emotion. "I dream about being buried alive."

Jess wasn't sure if it was the intimacy of the conversation or the effects of the alcohol that had loosened Emily's tongue, but it was instantly clear from Matt's reaction that Emily had never bared this information before. "Emily," he whispered tenderly, reaching out from where he sat on the floor and taking hold of the girl's hand in the darkness.

"It is all right," Emily insisted. "It is a good sign that I can have such dreams now. You see, I did not have a single unpleasant sleep in the three years I was trapped on the other side...nor in the few months I was home afterwards," she added quietly under her breath.

Jess understood the sentiment. Connor had often mentioned that he'd dreamt of only pleasant things during his year in the Cretaceous. Clearly it was a defence mechanism - when one's waking hours were unbearable, sleep became the only true escape. Jess hoped the reverse wasn't true and wondered if she should worry the next time she dreamt about a shirtless Becker bringing her chocolate. After all, if happy dreams actually meant an unhappy life, then she must be truly miserable these days!

"Abby has animal dreams," Jess blurted out, and she felt more than heard Becker's quiet laugh. "Not like that!" she quickly amended. "I mean she dreams about her animals being hurt. I swear I've heard her call out Rex's name in her sleep more often than Connor's."

Jess turned her head towards Becker, about to ask him what all his nightmares entailed, when Emily announced suddenly, "I sometimes dream about Henry." Definitely the alcohol, Jess decided, as Emily rarely spoke of her late husband by name. "No one deserved to die like that," Emily concluded quietly as the room once again dissolved into silence.

In the stillness, Becker wrapped his arms protectively about Jess, pulling her near. She wasn't sure whether it was out of guilt for his own part in Henry's death or whether he was merely expressing his concern that he didn't want to see her killed in such a ghastly manner, but Jess didn't question his motives and instead snuggled back against his warm chest and closed her eyes, feeling safe and cared for.

And now, as Jess slowly awoke to the dim morning light, she realised that he was still in the exact same position, his arms wrapped tightly about her as he lay asleep beside her. As Jess's eyes slowly opened, she noticed that Emily, too, was asleep on the bed, but thanks to Becker's protective embrace, Jess was no longer afraid of being mistakenly attacked.

Before Jess's sleep-addled mind even had a chance to wonder where Matt had spent the rest of the night, the door to the bedroom swung open and a loud grunt was heard from the floor nearby.

"Sorry, Matt," Abby whispered, pulling the door back so that the team leader could scoot out of the way and sit up.

"What time is it?" Jess asked, yawning.

Abby took in the situation and smiled. "I'm afraid...it's time to get up."

"Is it morning already?" Emily asked, sounding groggy herself.

"'Fraid so," Abby said. "Look, I'm really sorry about last night. I hope you all were able to fall asleep again relatively quickly."

Matt nodded, holding up the bottle. "We had a bit of help."

Abby nodded, but before she could reply, Lester appeared in the doorway beside her.

"What's all this then?" he asked. "Some sort of deranged slumber party?"

"Slumber party?" Emily asked, obviously unfamiliar with the term.

"You would've been welcome to join us, Lester," Jess offered cheerily, imagining he might've enjoyed the Carolans. "The more, the merrier."

Lester shook his head, clearly appalled at the suggestion. "The room's overcrowded as it is," he grumbled His condescending expression then morphed to one of concern as he turned to Abby, asking quietly under his breath, "How is he this morning?" nodding towards the stairs.

"He's fine," Abby answered. "But he doesn't remember a thing - never does."

Lester rolled his eyes. "Typical. Wake up the entire household and then sleep like a baby."

Abby shook her head, amused. "Aren't you supposed to be in the shower right now?"

Lester glanced at his watch and then hurried off down the corridor.

As the others began to rouse, Jess realised with regret that her cozy position in Becker's arms must now come to an end. She rolled over to face him, and in his sleep he adjusted as well...and promptly rolled off the edge of the bed!

"Careful!" Jess exclaimed, automatically reaching out for him as he fell.

Luckily Becker caught himself before hitting the floor, looking momentarily dazed and disorientated.

"You okay?" Jess asked worriedly.

He nodded as he got his bearings and stood up. "How about you?" he asked. "Were you able to sleep?"

Jess nodded and gave a huge stretch. "Out like a light," she said, smiling up at him. "Thanks to you."

He smiled back before his attention was drawn elsewhere and his face fell. Jess turned her head to see what had caused the frown and saw Matt giving them a wry look.

"I...uh...yeah...," Becker mumbled awkwardly before hurrying out of the room.

Jess raised an eyebrow at Matt, and he quickly stood as well. "I'd best be getting up, too, yeah?"

After he left, Abby shut the door and then turned to her two roommates. "So what did YOU two get up to last night?"

Jess grinned and gave a wide yawn as she stretched once again. "Sleeping," she replied with happy satisfaction.

...

Becker shook his head - why were they even still watching? Team GB was an embarrassment in this sport.

"I don't understand why we're such rubbish at archery," he grumbled as he watched the event on the monitors. "Aren't we the nation of Robin Hood?"

Matt nodded. "And Henry V."

"And Legolas," Connor chimed in, adding, "though technically I guess he's from Mirkwood."

"Where is Mirkwood?" Emily asked, and Becker merely rolled his eyes.

"So what time do the opening ceremonies start?" Connor asked.

"9pm," Jess answered.

"Oh good," Connor said. "We'll be home in plenty of time."

"Home?" Jess turned to stare at her flatmate, instantly tense.

"Connor, we're not going home," Abby explained. "Remember? We're working a double shift tonight."

"What? Since when?"

"Since Jess made up the schedule on Tuesday," Abby replied. "It's been posted all week."

"But why?" Connor whined.

"Someone has to work tonight," Emily pointed out.

"Yeah, but why US? What's the point of our Jess doing the schedule if she gives us the worst shifts?"

"Because I thought it was Friday night, and other people might have plans," Jess justified, though Becker could hear the guilt in her voice. "I knew we'd just be home watching the telly anyway, so I thought why not all watch it here together?"

"It'll be fine, Connor," Abby said, patting him on the back. "You'll see. We can order in food-"

"Pizza?" Connor asked hopefully.

Abby rolled her eyes. "Yes, we can order in pizza and watch the ceremonies together, and it'll hardly feel like we're even working."

As she continued to soothe Connor, Jess turned to Becker and asked quietly, "You're not upset with me, are you?"

"About what?"

"About scheduling us for tonight. I know the opening ceremonies are a big deal, and I didn't mean to upset anyone. I was just trying not to disappoint the rest of the staff."

It had never occurred to Becker before, but it was clear that Jess's selflessness automatically extended to her friends. She hadn't thought twice about sacrificing them to the bad shift, but now that Connor had pitched a fit, she was feeling guilty about it.

And it was up to Becker to put her mind at ease.

"It's fine," he said, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "As Emily said, someone has to work tonight. And at least we can all be together."

"You sure?" Jess asked, still sounding uncertain.

He answered by leaning in and giving her a quick peck on the lips.

"No no, none of that!" Lester scolded, glaring at Becker as he approached the hub. "This is NOT the Olympic Village, remember? Don't make me regret allowing you to watch the Games in here."

"But we are all working a double shift tonight," Emily said pointedly, not at all cowed by their guv'nor's harsh words.

Her matter-of-fact tone seemed to do the trick. Lester knew what it meant for them to be giving up this particular Friday night and he quickly backed off, saying, "Yes, well...carry on then," before wandering back towards his office.

Jess grinned and gave Becker another quick peck before they turned their attention back to the Games.

...

to be continued


	10. Ch10 UNEXPECTED OPENINGS

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 10 - UNEXPECTED OPENINGS

...

Connor sighed as he ate the last bite of his pizza. "I can't believe the opening ceremonies are starting so late."

"9's not that late," Abby commented.

"And just think how much faster the rest of our shift will go," Jess said, hoping to cheer up her friends, since she still felt bad about scheduling them to work tonight. "By the time the ceremonies are over, it'll be time to go home."

"And then we can all sleep in tomorrow morning," Abby pointed out, "since we don't have to be at work till 4."

"Wait, what?" Connor asked, confused. "We have to WORK? On a SATURDAY?"

Jess instantly tensed up, a wave of guilt flooding over her. Becker must've sensed her discomfort for he put a calming hand on her shoulder as he said, "It's on the schedule, Temple."

"EVERYONE is working extra shifts," Abby concurred. "That's what this whole Olympics thing is about, remember? Full coverage of the ARC 24/7."

"Besides, it could be worse," Emily pointed out.

Connor reluctantly nodded. "Yeah, I s'pose Lester could be here, barking at us to tidy up our mess and get back to work."

Jess smiled, relieved that Connor wasn't going to be too upset, at least not with her. Not that she didn't blame him for being sore - she was certain every member of the ARC staff would have a word or two to say to the Minister if given the chance. Of course, the Minister had a legitimate point as well - starting tonight, the entire world would be focussed on their fair city, and they needed to be prepared in case the unimaginable happened.

And working for the ARC, the unimaginable was a fairly regular occurrence. This obviously made planning ahead difficult, which was the one part of her job that drove Jess crazy.

Of course, she had no one but herself to blame for this morning's lapse.

"I still can't believe I forgot the bells," she blurted out, feeling bad about ruining her own plan. "I'd meant to pass them out so everyone could participate."

"Well, I'm sure Lester was pleased," Matt said drily.

"You know," Becker said, "I never did really understand the whole bell thing anyway."

"All the bells in the city rang out at the same time to celebrate the opening of the Olympics," Connor explained helpfully.

But clearly Becker was not satisfied with this explanation. "Yes, I know that. I mean, why do it at 8:12? The time doesn't make any sense in the morning."

Emily frowned. "And it makes sense at night?"

Becker nodded. "It's 20:12."

"Yes, I am aware of what year it is," Emily insisted.

Matt smiled and hastily clarified, "8:12pm is 20:12 in military time."

"Oh," Emily replied, turning back to Becker to add, "Why did you not simply say so?"

Jess felt Becker instantly tense up, and she quickly placed her hand on his forearm, wordlessly convincing him not to respond.

"Well, there'll be more bells tonight, won't there?" Abby asked, clearly trying to make Jess feel better. "You could always ring along with them."

"Yeah, the Olympic Bell will be rung," Jess said. "You know, it was made by the same foundry that created Big Ben."

Becker smiled at her, awed. "How do you always know so much?"

Jess gave a proud smile, pleased that Becker was impressed. But before she could impress him more with a smug kiss, Abby commented, "Well, I hate to sound like Lester, but it is almost 9. We'd best tidy up before the ceremonies start."

Everyone agreed, quickly clearing away the remnants of their meal as Jess let everyone know, "Oh, and I brought popcorn for later."

They finished just in time, for the announcer was just introducing Bradley Wiggins as they all settled in to watch.

"He is English, is he not?" Emily asked as the cyclist waved to the crowd. "So why is he wearing that horrid yellow?"

"He won the Tour de France," Abby explained helpfully.

But Emily frowned. "If he won, then why are they punishing him by making him wear that colour?"

Jess tried not to laugh at Emily's comment as they watched the cyclist approach the Olympic Bell and grab hold of its rope. Jess held her breath, watching anxiously as the rope was pulled, causing the giant bell to ring...and the ADD's klaxons to sound.

"Perfect timing, Jess," Abby complimented.

"Though I would not exactly call these 'bells'," Emily pointed out.

But Jess was too busy typing into her computer to pay much attention to their comments. However, she couldn't help but notice Connor's exclamation, "Oi! What you doing, Jess?" as the opening ceremonies were suddenly replaced on the large monitor by a map of the nation.

The field coordinator merely gave a frantic sigh as her fingers flew across the keyboard. It was Becker who was first to catch on.

"Where's the anomaly, Jess?" he asked.

"Anomaly?" Connor asked, surprised, as he and the others finally began to realise that Jess had not been personally responsible for the klaxons sounding.

"Can you get a reading on what time period it leads to?" Matt asked anxiously as Emily inquired, "Where is it?"

"Please don't tell us it's in the middle of Olympic Park," Connor said.

"No, it's down south," Jess said as she zoomed in on the signal. "Near Weymouth. In the ocean!"

As Connor breathed a sigh of relief , Abby gasped. "Weymouth! That's where all the Olympic sailing events are being held!"

"At least the athletes won't be there now," Becker pointed out. "They'll all be at the ceremonies."

Unfortunately, that was the only positive Jess could see in all this!

...

"What've you got for us, Jess?" Becker asked as he sped the 4x4 through the night. Thanks to the entire country having their eyes glued to the telly, there'd been no traffic for the entire drive, getting them to Dorset in record time.

"I've contacted the Coastguard," Jess explained through the comms. "Principal Officer Gelles is ready and waiting for you at the docks to take you out. The anomaly isn't far off-shore, and so far-"

"He don't mean that," Connor cut her off. "He means what's going on with the opening ceremonies."

Becker rolled his eyes, thinking of ways to convince Temple to ride back in Matt car's, as Jess explained, "I'm recording them at home, Connor. We can watch them together tomorrow."

"But that ain't the same," Connor insisted. "The rest of the world is watching them now. Can't you just give us a quick preview?"

"Connor, maybe the others don't want it spoilt before they watch it," Abby patiently suggested.

However, Emily's voice quickly came through the comms, "I would quite like to hear about it as well."

"Well," Jess began hesitantly, "if everyone else is okay with-"

"Yes, Jess, just go ahead," Becker snapped impatiently. The sooner she got this over with, the better - they were almost at the site, and he wanted everyone focussed when they arrived.

"All right. Well, after the bell rang, which you all saw, children's choirs representing the four countries of Great Britain sang."

"What'd they sing?" Connor asked eagerly.

He was definitely riding back in the other car!

"You'll find out tomorrow, Connor," Abby said before encouraging, "Go on, Jess."

"Then Kenneth Branagh performed a speech by Shakespeare."

"The St. Crispin's Day speech?" Matt asked.

"No, one from _The Tempest_, actually," Jess said.

"_Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises, Sounds and sweet airs_," Emily quoted.

"That's the one," Jess confirmed.

"How'd you know that, Emily?" Connor asked, clearly impressed.

"I doubted they would be opening the Games with '_There be some sports are painful'."_

Becker could practically hear the proud amusement in Matt's voice as he prompted, "So then what, Jess?"

"Well...," she began tentatively, "it's kind of hard to explain. Basically the green and pleasant land was overtaken by factories from the Industrial Revolution. There was lots of drumming, and a parade, and general pandemonium, and eventually giant Olympic rings were forged and rose above the stadium."

"O...kay," Connor said. "Sounds weird but cool."

"I'm not describing it very well," Jess said, sounding almost flustered. "Oh, but then they showed a short film where James Bond visited the Queen in Buckingham Palace."

"Which Bond?" Abby asked.

"Daniel Craig."

Becker heard Abby give a small sigh of delight from the passenger seat.

"And who played the Queen?" Connor asked.

"Her Majesty," Jess answered.

"Yeah, Her Majesty the Queen," Connor concurred. "Who played her?"

"No, that's what I'm saying," Jess said. "Her Majesty the Queen played Her Majesty the Queen! For real! In Buckingham Palace!"

"Wait, let me get this straight," Matt said. "The fictional character of James Bond met with the REAL Queen?"

"Yes. It was brilliant. Even the corgis were in it."

"So what happened?" Connor prompted excitedly.

"Well, he showed up and accompanied her out to the helicopter. Then they flew around the city, past all the landmarks, to Olympic Park, where they both parachuted out."

"Her Majesty the Queen parachuted out of a helicopter?" Emily asked.

"Not the real Queen, of course!" Jess said, as if it were obvious. "She's 86, for goodness' sake!"

Becker shook his head - the lines between reality and fiction had once again grown a little blurrier.

And unfortunately they had an unpleasant reality to face.

"That's all we have time for now, Jess," Becker said into the comms as he pulled into the Coastguard station. "We're here."

"Be careful," Jess urged as he brought the 4x4 to a screeching halt at the dock.

...

to be continued


	11. Ch 11 DIVING IN THE DARK

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 11 - DIVING IN THE DARK

...

These were the types of calls that Jess hated the most, the ones where she was blind and couldn't assist the team. In this case, not only was there no CCTV footage to monitor, but the team were headed out to sea in the dark - Jess could only imagine the sort of nightmares THIS might inspire.

From what she could tell, the Coastguard officer, although a bit unfriendly, seemed thoroughly efficient. Unfortunately, she could sense that Becker didn't like the bloke from the instant they'd met, and the officer clearly had something to prove as well. Jess never did quite understand the whole alpha male dynamic, and usually neither did Connor, but in this case he'd been the one to accidentally set Gelles off. When the team had arrived, the officer had officially greeted, "Welcome to the Jurassic Coast." Connor had instantly corrected, "No, this one leads to the Ordovician, mate," and things had only gone downhill from there.

Jess had spent most of her time during their drive skimming the social media sites, trying to find news of an incursion. Whilst there were many people in the waters around Weymouth and Portland, preparing to watch the sailing events that were due to start on Sunday, most of them were safely tucked indoors, watching the opening ceremonies with the rest of the world. Since all of Twitter was atwitter with comments about the festivities, there were literally millions of tweets to search through. With almost all eyes thus focussed on London, Jess had found only two tweets of interest to the team - one mentioned a "strange octopus" outside a moored yacht while the other mentioned "some kind of giant cone" floating by off-shore.

"_Cameroceres_." Matt instantly recognised the creature upon hearing Jess's meagre description.

"Yep," Connor concurred. "They was mostly blind, which would explain why it didn't notice it was, you know, swimming through a giant flickering gateway."

"And it makes sense it would've been on the move," Abby added, "as they tended to come in to shallower water at night to feed."

Jess didn't like the sound of that, and after some quick internet research, she grew even more concerned. These _Cameroceres_ were like something a snail-phobic might have nightmares about - a giant cone-shaped shell the size of a school bus housing a terrifying cephalopod with metre-long tentacles. Since their main food source in their own time were giant, man-sized sea scorpions, Jess was not at all pleased to hear that both Matt and Becker were now suiting up and planning to dive into the dark waters with Gelles.

Since she couldn't do anything to dissuade them, she tried to distract herself with other research. Curious, she looked up the "Jurassic Coast", as Gelles had called it. Dorset, it turned out, was the site of England's first natural World Heritage Site, with 95 miles of coastline revealing millions of years of the earth's history in its cliffs. With its scenic footpaths, breathtaking views, sheltered beaches, and loads of fossils, Jess thought it would be an ideal spot for Connor and Abby to honeymoon...if Paris didn't pan out.

And it turned out that fossils and the anomaly weren't the only links to the past currently submerged in Portland Harbour - the protected waters were also home to numerous shipwrecks, dating back to the 1800s. Jess had not found this fact "Super cool!" as Connor had, but rather worrisome instead - she knew that anything additional for the team to contend with was bound to make their job more difficult.

And it was going to be difficult enough as it was.

"Is there anything I can do?" Jess asked anxiously into the comms.

The winds stirred up from the rescue boats nearly drowned out Abby's answer. "Matt, Becker, and the Coastguard officer are about to make their first dive. We'll keep you informed."

"In the meantime," Connor said, his voice clear as a bell from inside the Coastguard headquarters back on-shore, "you could tell us a bit more about what's going on with the opening ceremonies."

Jess rolled her eyes - how could he be thinking about the Olympics at a time like this?

...

Becker scolded himself for having volunteered. Under ordinary circumstances, he probably wouldn't have offered to dive, especially not at night, but Gelles had so gotten his back up that he'd jumped at the chance to show up the prat.

But now he was wondering if Temple hadn't had the right idea staying back on shore. They should've just gone with Matt's initial suggestion - surely they could've somehow coerced the giant creature back through the anomaly from on-board the Coastguard's rescue boats - but Gelles had seemed so dismissive of the ARC team's capabilities that Becker had felt they had something to prove.

Of course, at this rate, Becker realised he might just prove he was a top-rate fool.

It had been some time since he'd dived, especially at night. Putting on their tanks, Matt must've noticed Becker's hesitation for he offered, "It's not too late to back out, mate. I'm sure we can handle it, if you're not comfortable."

This only made Becker more determined than ever. It also made him question, "And when did you get YOUR night diving certification, Matt? Was it before or after Everest?"

However, the comment merely rolled off Matt's back, which was probably for the best; now that they were out here in the harbour, Becker definitely needed an ally.

And as if diving at night in unfamiliar waters wasn't difficult enough, it turned out Portland Harbour was filled with shipwrecks, which made searching for the creature even more complicated. And whilst having the Coastguard's two giant searchlights shining into the water had seemed like a good plan, their presence, coupled with the shimmering light from the anomaly, only served to disorientate.

There wasn't even much of a plan in place. The creature was searching for food, and they somehow hoped to lead it back through the anomaly using themselves as bait. They hadn't exactly discussed how to do this without getting eaten themselves, nor what they'd do after getting it back through, though Connor was supposedly working on an underwater locking device. But one thing was certain - despite being annoyed with Matt tonight, Becker knew that he could rely on the team leader to watch his back, and vice versa.

If they ever found the bleeding creature!

Becker dived deeper, squinting his eyes to see through the water lit by his dim diving torch. He was mostly navigating on instinct, with no real idea of where to find the creature.

Suddenly he sensed more than saw the giant cone moving nearby. Becker headed towards the movement, catching a glimpse of another diving torch approaching from the opposite direction.

The creature must've sensed the other diver as well, for the cone suddenly swung about, knocking into Becker and sending him tumbling through the water. His regulator was momentarily knocked out, causing a surge of panic before he remembered his training. He automatically reached down for his regulator, which had settled at his hip, and blew the water out before taking a few breaths from the tank, trying to calm his pounding heart.

Once he was no longer in imminent danger of drowning, he realised he was now so disorientated by the darkness and the three golden lights that he no longer knew which way was up. He fought down this new panic as he glanced about, trying to get his bearings visually. When that didn't work, he watched the bubbles from his regulator by the light of his diving torch to see which way they rose. Up was NOT the direction he'd thought, and he took a moment to fully readjust to this new sense of reality before heading back towards the light source he now recognised as the underwater anomaly.

A large shadow was blocking most of its light, which Becker took as a good sign. He soon overtook the large creature and was finally able to get a good view of where it was headed. In addition to the flickering gateway, Becker could see two small lights up ahead, no doubt Matt and the Coastguard officer. The creature was charging straight towards them and thus, Becker was relieved to see, straight towards home. Connor had said this creature was mostly blind, so Becker hypothesised it must be navigating by sensing the movements of the other divers - as such, Becker stopped his forward progress, not wanting to set the creature off-course by his own actions.

Setting his buoyancy and hovering in the water column, he watched as the multi-legged animal with its 6-metre-long cone charged headlong towards the anomaly. It was hard to judge distances, but it must be getting close, for the two diving torches seemed to hold almost steady, as if guarding a goal. Suddenly the two lights seemed to split apart just as the creature swam between them and disappeared into the gateway.

Once the giant cone was completely through, Becker made his way towards the anomaly. Unfortunately he could now see only one torch, which was just starting to head towards the surface. Becker frantically looked about, but he couldn't see the other diver anywhere in the water. Unfortunately, that could mean only one thing - a diver must've been dragged through the anomaly with the creature. Knowing how disorientated he himself had felt after having been knocked by the creature, Becker realised that the diver might not even be aware that he'd gone through the gateway, which could have deadly repercussions.

Becker hurried towards the gateway, knowing time was of the essence. His tank was getting low, but so was the stranded diver's, and the longer the diver stayed on the other side, the more danger he was in. The last thing Becker wanted to do was head into the dark unknown on the other side, but it was his job to make sure his team was safe, even if it meant risking his own life.

Without even giving a thought to the Rules, he kicked hard towards the anomaly. He was about to head through it when he suddenly felt something behind him grab his ankle. Gasping, he turned to see what foul creature had hold of him, and was relieved to discover it was only Matt. Letting go of Becker's ankle, Matt held his hand in front of his torch, giving the signal to surface. Becker recognised his next signal as well - Gelles must've already surfaced, which was why Becker hadn't been able to find him. Nodding in understanding, Becker made his way up alongside Matt, relieved that he hadn't had to go through the anomaly after all.

As they bobbed to the surface, Matt removed his torch and shone it on the two of them, letting the rescue boats know where they were. The searchlights were swung about to shine on them, momentarily blinding the two divers. Luckily, one of the boats was there in a minute, and soon he and Matt were on deck, taking welcome lungfuls of the salty night air.

"Are you all right?" Emily asked worriedly.

Matt nodded but turned towards Becker, asking, "How about you, mate?"

Becker recognised that the question wasn't meant to be condescending - instead, it was clear Matt had seen Becker get knocked by the creature and was genuinely concerned.

Becker quickly nodded. "I'm fine," he said, giving Matt a look to let him know he'd rather the team leader not mention his close call to the others...especially Jess.

Abby gave Becker a wry smile. "Well, if you were trying to prove a point to Gelles, you succeeded. He was pale as a ghost when they fished him out, and we could hear his voice over the water, going on and on about the 'terrifying monster'."

"You would think he had never seen a dinosaur before," Emily said, a glint of humour in her eyes.

Becker smiled, looking forward to debriefing the officer once they got to shore. However, he was well aware he'd almost paid the ultimate price for trying to prove himself.

Perhaps next time he'd simply stick to competing over who had the bigger gun!

...

to be continued

[Author's Note: I just want to thank JJB, who gave me lots of technical advice and assistance with this scene! It pays to know people who are crazy enough to be certified in night diving!]


	12. Ch 12 QUARRELSOME QUERIES

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 12 - QUARRELSOME QUERIES

...

By the time the anomaly was locked, with a contingent left behind to guard it until closed, it was well past the end of their shift. Jess had intended to stay on at the ARC until the team made it back, but Abby insisted that she go on home.

"Just take my car," Abby said. "Connor and I can get a ride with Becker."

Jess protested, but the others eventually persuaded her. She eventually made her way home, but she was determined to wait up for the team, so she decided to take the opportunity to tidy up the flat. Despite everyone doing their best, with seven people there, the flat had already become quite messy. Jess washed all the dishes, thoroughly cleaned the entire bathroom, and even took out the trash. Once the place finally looked respectable, Jess checked the DVR to ensure that the opening ceremonies had, in fact, been recorded before putting in a _Kodocha_ DVD and settling down on the sofa.

"Jess." She awoke to a gentle hand upon her shoulder. "We're home."

Jess smiled up at the handsome soldier. "Morning," she greeted groggily.

But Becker shook his head. "Not yet. C'mon," he added, taking her hand, "let's get you up to bed."

Jess, however, yanked on his hand, pulling him closer. Then, closing her eyes again, she said through a yawn, "You're supposed to wake me up with a kiss."

Almost instantly she felt Becker's lips tenderly press against hers. Her eyes still closed, she reached her arms up around his neck and pulled him down onto the sofa next to her.

"Awake now, Sleeping Beauty?" Matt asked drily as he entered the room.

"Mmm, yes," Jess said, certain that being thus awakened by her prince was MUCH preferred to a silly alarm clock.

"You shouldn't have waited up for us, Jess," Becker scolded gently.

"But she fell asleep," Emily pointed out before saying her goodnights and heading upstairs.

"I felt bad leaving you," Jess explained, snuggling into Becker as he put his arm around her shoulders.

"Why? You didn't need to stay on. In fact, you could've headed home as soon as Schwegel showed up for her shift."

"I know. But you were still out on the call, and I didn't want to just abandon you. Besides," she added, snuggling in closer, "I was worried about you."

"There's...nothing to worry about, Jess," Becker promised. "I'm fine."

But there was something in the way he said it. Or perhaps in the way she felt him ever so slightly tense up. But whatever it was, she could instantly tell that there was something he wasn't telling her.

"What happened?" she asked, pulling away slightly so she could look into his face.

His rolling eyes, however, gave nothing away. "You know what happened, Jess. Abby kept you informed."

"But Abby wasn't with you in the water. Something happened, didn't it?" When Becker didn't immediately answer, she turned to Matt, repeating, "Didn't it?"

Matt shook his head, insisting, "We're fine, Jess." But she'd seen the look he gave Becker, the look that seemed to say, "I'm not getting involved, mate."

Jess pulled completely away from Becker so she could wield the full power of her glare. "What happened?"

Becker gave a frustrated sigh. "Jess, I don't want to talk about it."

"Well, that's too bad, because I NEED you to talk about it." Out of the corner of her eye, Jess saw Matt make his escape, but she didn't care - this was too important to worry about Matt's feelings right now.

Becker frowned. "Jess, I'm fine. I'm here. Can't we just leave it at that?"

"No, we can't," Jess insisted. "I need to know. Because otherwise my mind will come up with a zillion different scenarios and I'll never be able to fall a-"

Jess was cut off mid-word by a terrified yelp from upstairs. Jess and Becker barely shared a look before jumping to their feet and bolting up the stairs, all thoughts of their previous conversation now gone,

Abby had reached the door to her bedroom first and flicked on the overhead light. As Jess and Becker ran up, they saw a terrified Lester lying in bed, the sheets nervously pulled up to his chin, with a confused Connor standing nearby.

"Is everyone okay?" Jess asked, trying to sort out the situation, as Matt and Emily belatedly joined them in the doorway.

"Would YOU be okay if Connor crawled into bed with you in the middle of the night?" Lester asked.

Abby shook her head. "Lester, what are you doing here?"

"The same thing I've been doing every night this week - trying to sleep!"

But Jess understood what Abby meant and quickly clarified, "But we thought you were only staying in town during the week. We didn't know you'd be staying here on the weekend as well. Not that you're not welcome," Jess quickly added.

"Just for tonight," he explained. "My wife is travelling down tomorrow - we've tickets to the Dressage events in the morning - so I thought it made sense to just stay the night. However, if I'd known Casanova here was going to pester me-"

"I thought you was Abby," Connor insisted. "The light was off, I thought you was gone for the weekend - how was I to know?"

Abby, however, seemed merely amused. She walked over and put a comforting arm around Connor before asking pointedly, "You won't be here tomorrow night, Lester, yeah?"

"Definitely not. And come Monday, I'm bolting the door, you can be assured."

Abby gave a knowing smile to Connor before saying, "Go back to sleep, Lester," before shutting off the light and closing the door.

"Well, that was a nice burst of adrenaline right before bed," Matt commented before saying goodnight to all and heading back downstairs.

Becker walked Jess to her bedroom door before asking, "Are you going to be okay?"

"'Course," she answered with a smile, even though her heart was still beating fast. "Connor knows better than to climb into MY bed."

But Becker didn't look amused. "Well, I just thought...you know, you haven't been sleeping well, sharing your bed with..." He trailed off and nodded his head at the two girls who were just now entering the bedroom.

Whilst Jess had spent the last several nights terrified of being attacked by the two warrior women, she was no longer worried. She planned to merely imagine being wrapped in Becker's protective arms, like she had been this morning when she'd awoken, so she was certain to fall asleep in an instant.

"I'll be fine," she said, giving him a quick peck, grateful that he was so concerned about her. "Goodnight."

As Becker turned and made his way down the stairs, Jess entered her bedroom. Emily and Abby had already turned off the lights, and Jess could easily see why Connor had been confused, for in the darkness, one sleeping form under the bedclothes pretty much looked like another. Jess carefully crawled over Emily and slid into her position in the middle. Closing her eyes, she thought of all that had happened since she'd awoken in Becker's arms that morning.

Though tt wasn't until right as she was on the verge of sleep that she remembered he'd never told her what happened at the anomaly.

...

Becker would've kicked himself for having forgotten to reset his watch alarm if Matt hadn't done so first. The soldier quickly shut his alarm off, offering a quick apology to the team leader before rolling over and dozing off again. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to fall completely back to sleep, and after an hour of restless tossing and turning, he finally decided there was no point to lying there any longer.

He put his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling, trying to decide what to do instead. He was too tired for a run, and he didn't want to wake the others by turning on the telly. Finally he decided that he'd feel infinitely better if he took a shower to wash out the harbour's salty residue from his hair...and from his mind.

He couldn't believe Jess had asked him about the call last night - she'd never questioned him before, and he hoped this wasn't a new trend. The last thing he wanted to think about, the last thing he wanted to acknowledge was the danger he'd truly been in. Part of being a good soldier was the ability to be present in the moment of crisis and then to leave that moment behind. Dwelling on what had already happened, what couldn't be changed, was useless, and he was annoyed that Jess didn't seem to understand that.

Thank goodness Lester had yelped when he did or things might've become incredibly uncomfortable between him and Jess. Of course, there was the very strong possibility that she'd bring up the topic again today, but there was no point dwelling on something that might not happen. So instead he stood up and headed upstairs to the bathroom, thankful there was no schedule to keep to today.

Unfortunately, no schedule meant that the bathroom was already occupied. Becker's frustrated sigh must've been louder than he'd intended for immediately the door opened to reveal Lester inside, his mouth full of toothpaste.

"Need the toilet?" he mumbled.

Becker did, but he could wait. It was one thing to stand side by side at the urinals in the ARC and quite another to use the toilet as his guv'nor stood nearby brushing his teeth - that just seemed a bit too intimate. "I'll wait."

Lester shrugged. "Suit yourself," he mumbled, leaving the door open and spitting into the sink. "So how'd things go last night?" he asked before putting his toothbrush back into his mouth.

Becker shrugged. "There was an incursion in the water. We dealt with it. The anomaly's now locked and being watched. Nothing to worry about."

Lester merely raised a doubtful eyebrow before turning on the water and starting to rinse.

Becker, however, frowned - when had he become so easy to read? He'd never been one to wear his emotions on his sleeve - that was more Jess's territory than his. Yet Lester's look had clearly suggested that he knew Becker was keeping something from him.

Thankfully, Lester didn't pursue it. He finished rinsing, wiped his face dry on a flannel, and then turned towards Becker. "It's all yours," he said, walking out of the bathroom and down the corridor to "his" room.

Becker quickly entered and took his shower. It felt good to get the salt and sea scum out of his hair, though its smell as it ran down the drain only served to bring up memories of last night - damn Lester for putting such thoughts back in his head!

The flat was still quiet when he finished. Not wanting to wake the others, he grabbed his mobile and headed outside. Sitting down on the front stoop, he dialled his mum's number - he desperately needed to talk to someone who wouldn't question him about his work.

Unfortunately, her questions centred instead around Jess: How was she? Was he enjoying his time at her place? Was she keeping him well fed? Was he going to bring her to visit again once the Games were through? By the time he rung off, the diving mishap had been completely erased from his mind, replaced instead with sheer annoyance.

Standing up, he pulled out the key to Jess's flat, but the sight of it made him pause, considering its significance. He was relieved his mum knew nothing of the key, for she might've misinterpreted it. Of course, not very long ago he'd given his flat key to Jess, but that had been different. Or had it? He'd given his so she'd have a safe haven to escape to when her flatmates became too much; she'd given hers so he'd have a place to stay whilst being trapped in the city. Both had given theirs because they'd been genuinely concerned about the other person - wasn't that worth ever so much more than a simple booty call?

Suddenly the door was yanked open, causing Becker to nearly pitch backwards off the stoop in surprise.

"There you are!" Jess said, giving him a relieved smile. "I saw you didn't have on your trainers, so I wondered what had happened to you. Is everything okay?"

Becker nodded, holding up his mobile. "My mum."

"Oh, how is she? I hope she and your dad are enjoying their holiday, even though you can't be there with them. Did you send her my love?"

Becker gave a vague shrug - after getting the third degree from his mum about Jess, he didn't want to encourage Jess's line of questioning. "Why are you up?" he asked before a thought occurred to him. "Did you have trouble sleeping again last night?"

Jess shook her head. "No, I slept fine. Really. The girls didn't bother me last night. I just...couldn't sleep in. Too used to my routine, I guess."

Becker nodded - he certainly could relate. "You hungry?" he asked, suddenly realising how empty his own stomach felt. "We could... go for breakfast?"

Jess smiled. "That'd be lovely! Just let me run upstairs and put on some shoes."

She ran back into the flat, leaving him to sit back down as he waited. He was pleased she was awake, as he hadn't known what he was going to do with himself once inside. He was also looking forward to finally spending some time alone with Jess - they simply hadn't had enough of that these last few days.

But suddenly last night's interrupted conversation came back to him. As soon as she got him alone, she was liable to bring up the incursion again, and he really didn't relish an early morning row in the coffee shop.

Therefore he was almost pleased when Jess was not the only one at the door when it opened a minute later.

"Emily and Matt decided to join us," Jess said with a forced smile, clearly disappointed that they wouldn't be spending their morning alone.

But under the circumstances, Becker couldn't have been happier.

...

to be continued


	13. Ch 13 BREAKFAST & BIKINIS

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 13 - BREAKFAST & BIKINIS

...

As the foursome started down the street towards the cafe, Jess took Becker's arm, heaving a heavy sigh. While she liked Matt and Emily and enjoyed spending time with them, she'd been hoping to have a nice, relaxing breakfast alone with Becker. Of course, she couldn't blame them for inviting themselves to come along - Abby and Connor had clearly wanted to take advantage of Lester being out of their room, and Matt and Emily had not been interested in sticking around for that. Still, Jess wished they'd simply decided to go for a long walk or something instead of intruding on her date.

Not that it was really a "date" date. She and Becker had obviously shared breakfasts together before; however, now that they were a "couple", she would've loved to spend some time alone with him.

Even if she had just lied to his face.

She felt a bit guilty about having been so dishonest, but she simply didn't want him to worry. If he knew she'd been up half the night stressing about what had happened to him at the anomaly, he'd NEVER tell her what happened, and not knowing was what was causing her grief. The truth, whatever it was, would be fine; the truth she could handle. But not knowing meant her mind was free to wander, to come up with zillions of horrible possibilities of what might've happened to him in the darkened waters. Surely having only ONE scenario in her mind would be better than this. As the possibilities threatened to overwhelm her once again, she gave an involuntary shiver.

Becker, unfortunately, noticed and frowned at her. "You should've worn a jacket."

"I'm fine," Jess insisted, though she didn't refuse the warm arm he draped about her shoulders.

"Yeah, it is a bit parky this morning," Matt commented, staring up at the gray clouds.

Becker nodded. "Let's just hope it warms up soon - women's beach volleyball is supposed to start at 9," he said with a smile.

Jess stared at Becker. "I can't believe you just said that. Those girls are legitimate athletes, too, you know!"

Becker raised an eyebrow. "Then why do they wear bikinis for uniforms?"

Jess gave an indignant huff. "Because it's BEACH volleyball - what else are they to wear?"

"What are bikinis?" Emily asked Matt.

"Yeah, I'm gonna let Jess answer that one," Matt said.

"Coward," Becker mumbled under his breath.

Ignoring the soldier, Jess explained, "Bikinis are tiny swimsuits that...well...shall we say, tend to leave nothing to the imagination."

"Says the girl who wears the shortest skirts ever," Becker teased.

Jess gave the soldier a friendly swat. "I don't recall ever hearing complaints about them from you."

"Nor from any of the other men at the ARC, " Becker pointed out, his eyes twinkling with mischief as he added, "which is actually MY only complaint."

Jess grinned up at him. "Oh, so you're going to start telling me how to dress now?" she teased. "A few snogs and suddenly you get to control my wardrobe?"

"Absolutely," Becker said drily, his face stern. "I'm laying down the law - nothing but unflattering jumpers and baggy flannel trousers for you from here on out."

"What right have you to tell Jess what to wear?" Emily snapped, sounding quite angry. Clearly their teasing had struck some sort of nerve, for Emily went on heatedly, "You are not her father, Becker, nor certainly her husband. And I do not know what these snogs are, but surely they do not give you permission to-"

"Emily," Matt interrupted, putting a soothing hand on her shoulder. "Calm down. Becker didn't mean any of it. He was only teasing. He'd never make Jess do something she didn't want."

Jess could tell, however, that Emily wasn't entirely convinced, so she quickly jumped in, adding, "We were just playing, Emily. I promise. Becker's not like that. He's one of the good guys," she said, taking his arm again and smiling up at the handsome soldier.

"I am sorry," Emily said, clearly chagrinned. "I simply thought you...I misunderstood."

"Besides, Emily," Becker added drily, "you should know better than anyone, no one ever follows my orders."

The former Victorian nodded. "Yes, I suppose you are right," she said matter-of-factly.

However, the glint in her eye made it clear that she was the one now teasing.

...

Jess managed to wait until they were already seated and tucking in to bring up the anomaly.

Except for Emily's strange outburst, they'd managed to make it to the cafe with little incident, and everyone ordered their food quickly, clearly famished from their long adventures the night before. Emily chose their spot - a booth near the corner - and Becker was frankly surprised, and a little disappointed, when Jess immediately took the seat next to her friend. It wasn't until Becker slid in after Matt that he realised why Jess hadn't chosen to sit next to him - she was now sat directly across from him, looking him straight in the eye, all the better to confront him with.

Yet despite this obvious warning sign, Becker still didn't quite see it coming. If there were an Olympic sport in Conversation Manoeuvring, Jess would definitely win the gold. Of course, he'd often seen her skillfully manoeuvre Lester into thinking that what she wanted was actually his idea., and no one could deny that she was usually a master at distracting Connor (unless, of course, the topic was sleeping with Abby). But Becker had always assumed she'd only use her powers for good; it had never even occurred to him that she would one day turn them on him, surreptitiously wending her way through his conversation to get exactly what she wanted.

But clearly that's what she'd just done. It was an amazing gift she possessed, and if he wasn't so angry, he'd be impressed. For who else on the planet could've seamlessly manoeuvred the conversation from discussing breakfast scones to desserts to appetisers to garlic-fried calamari to "I bet the giant tentacles on the creature last night might've made enough appetisers for the entire ARC crew, yeah?"

Becker was furious, and he was stubborn, and he wasn't about to let her get away with this. Last night he hadn't wanted to discuss the incursion because he'd simply wanted to forget about the entire incident. Of course, at this moment, thanks to her, the incident was foremost on his mind whether he spoke up or not, but he'd be damned if he was going to let her succeed with this little game. He'd told her he didn't want to discuss it, and he wasn't going to give in on that point. If they were going to be a couple, she needed to know that there were certain things that he would NOT be sharing with her, and those items were non-negotiable.

Yet the problem was he couldn't have THAT conversation now, not here in the cafe in front of Matt & Emily. And if he didn't change the subject fast, one of the others might start discussing the incursion, and he would've lost this battle. Not that he expected Matt to go into much detail - the team leader never went into much detail about ANYTHING - but Emily was a wildcard. Becker didn't know how much Emily knew about their underwater adventures, how much she'd seen from on-board the rescue boat, how much she was liable to share with Jess.

So while Becker was no master, he realised he needed to dramatically steer the conversation away before Jess got what she wanted.

"Yeah, Connor was smart to stay on-shore," Becker said awkwardly. "And, uh, speaking of, why didn't he and Abby come with us to breakfast?"

He'd assumed this was a nice, neutral topic, but suddenly the other three at the table looked extremely uncomfortable.

As Jess's face flushed a brilliant red, she stammered, "Well, uh, I think they wanted...I mean, since Lester's gone for the weekend, he's out of...well...and..."

Matt finally took pity on her. "They had other plans." His tone gave nothing away, and his face maintained its usual staid expression, but Becker could still read exactly what the other man was saying; no wonder Jess looked embarrassed.

"So...what are OUR plans for today?" Jess asked, clearly trying to steer the conversation back to a more neutral topic. "We don't work till 4, so we have loads of time."

"We could watch the Games," Emily suggested.

"Oh yes," Jess said, grinning broadly, "and the opening ceremonies! They were amazing, what I saw of them, and I can't wait to watch them all together."

But Becker could now see what she was doing. She was bringing up the opening ceremonies, and somehow she'd morph that into discussing the research she'd been doing on-line whilst she'd been watching them, which of course would bring them right back to the incursion.

Realising he needed to change topics again, Becker glanced out the window, frantically observing, "It looks like the weather's clearing up a bit." After all, the weather was always a safe topic, right?

Jess, however, shot him a strange look as Emily said with a smile, "Yes, you will be able to enjoy your beach athletes' uniforms now."

Matt laughed. "Yeah, I'm not sure we're going to be able to come to a consensus on what events to watch without resorting to fisticuffs. Perhaps watching the opening ceremonies together is our best bet after all."

And there it was. Just like she did with Lester, now she was getting Matt to bring the conversation back round - she really was a master!

Becker frantically tried to think of another topic they could discuss. Unfortunately, all they'd been discussing for days now were the Olympics, and any discussion of the Games would bring them right back to where they were now. Trying to think of something non-Games related, Becker's mind started grasping at straws.

"So," he burst out as an idea struck, "Paris, huh? That sounds like it would've been fun."

Of course, the instant the words were out of his mouth, he realised he couldn't have picked a worse topic. It was like his mum texting him photos of lazy picnics - way to pour salt in their wounds!

And Emily looked suitably horrified. She turned to Jess, who inexplicably said, "I didn't say a word."

Matt looked a bit confused by the girls' interchange as well but said, "It would've been a real treat. But maybe we can take the trip again later, yeah?" he asked, shooting Emily a look.

As Emily gave a nod, Becker breathed a sigh of relief, pleased that his topic change had succeeded. However, he was certain Jess might switch it back at any minute, so he wanted to keep this topic going as long as possible.

"You know," he said, "Abby and Connor have been talking about Paris for their honeymoon. Seems a bit cliche to me, but-"

He stopped as Jess abruptly jumped to her feet and grabbed his hand. "Come with me." And before he could stop her, she'd dragged him to the other side of the cafe.

"I need you to stop, right now," Jess said, keeping her voice low but firm.

Becker frowned. He wasn't used to being scolded, especially in public. But before he could protest, she went on.

"I know what you're trying to do, and it's a valiant effort, but to be honest, you're rubbish at leading conversations. I know you don't want to talk about the incursion right now - I get that - and I promise that we can leave that discussion for when we're alone. But please, PLEASE stop putting your foot in it! I know it's not your fault because you don't know things, but you're making it VERY awkward for the rest of us. So please - if I promise not to discuss last night's anomaly, will you promise to let me control the conversation? Trust me - everyone will be happier for it."

Becker had only followed about half of what she'd said, but he understood her promise, and he definitely intended to hold her to it.

"Okay," he said.

Jess smiled up at him. "You promise you'll follow my lead?""

Becker reluctantly nodded. "Yes, Jessica, I promise," he said with a sigh.

Jess rolled her eyes. "Don't get all pouty with me - you're the one making everyone miserable. But don't worry - I can fix it all. And I still love you, even if you ARE rubbish." She gave him a quick peck before heading back to the table. "You know," her cheery voice carried across the cafe as she sat back down, "I think I found a better place for Abby and Connor to honeymoon. Last night I did all this research on Dorset, and did you know...?"

Although she was talking about last night again, Becker was no longer worried about her bringing up the incursion. His lack of that particular worry was not because of the promise she'd just made but rather because it'd been replaced with a different worry.

One that centred around Jess's use of a particular word.

...

to be continued


	14. Ch 14 BOOTHS & BOOTS

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 14 - BOOTHS & BOOTS

...

They ended up spending almost the entire morning at the cafe. It wasn't only that they were having a fun time together, but it was clear that no one wanted to go back to the flat "too soon". Of course, now that Jess was in charge of the conversation, she made certain that that particular topic wasn't brought up again. And a message mid-morning that the underwater anomaly had closed helped them all relax even more.

Yet despite the pleasant talk, Jess could tell that Emily was still upset about the mention of Paris and the honeymoon - damn Becker for putting his foot in it and making their friend feel uncomfortable! So the instant the Victorian excused herself to use the powder room, Jess jumped at the chance to go with her.

The moment they were alone, with the door safely shut behind them, Jess began, "Emily, I just want you to know that I didn't say a WORD to Becker about your honeymoon. I'd never betray a confidence like that! I'm sorry he even brought it up - he was upset with me, you see, and I think he was just trying to make neutral conversation, which clearly he's rubbish at, and I'm sorry he made you feel uncomfortable. But I just want to reassure you that I didn't - I WOULDN'T - say anything to him...or anyone else. I imagine it's not the sort of thing you'd want all over the ARC."

"Thank you for telling me." Emily nodded. "It does make me feel a bit better."

Jess gave a relieved sigh. "Oh, I'm so glad!"

Emily disappeared into a stall, shutting the door behind her. "Of course, it is not the ARC so much I mind knowing...only Matt."

It took Jess a moment to process this cryptic comment. "Wait, so Matt doesn't know? You didn't tell him why you wanted to go to Paris?"

"Of course not! I could never tell him that."

"Emily! He'd want to know." She couldn't believe Emily would keep something like that from him! Yet hadn't she herself just lied to Becker that very morning, not wanting him to worry?

Emily clearly had similar reasons. "Are you mad? Did you not see the way he reacted when I merely mentioned having dreams about Henry? No, I could never tell him that Henry was the reason for our trip."

Jess frowned. She didn't remember how Matt had responded the other night - she had been on the verge of sleep and, to be honest, had been a bit focussed on the handsome man holding her in his arms to notice anyone else. Clearly Matt hadn't taken it well, though Jess simply couldn't fathom why. Jealousy? There was really no contest. Matt had saved Emily's life, whereas Henry had almost taken it by his own hand - surely it was obvious whom Emily would choose.

Then again, it was always easier to figure out how someone else should feel than to actually deal with one's own emotions.

The toilet flushed and Emily emerged from the stall. "I hope you do not mind my saying so," Emily began, looking frightfully serious, "but I do believe that toilet tissue may be one of the best inventions ever."

After the conversation they'd just been having, this was so not what Jess had expected to come out of her friend's mouth, and she couldn't help but laugh.

"I mean it," Emily insisted as she quickly washed her hands. "Flush toilets and tampons would definitely be on that list as well."

Jess nodded. "Perhaps you should write a book: _Everyday Things We Take For Granted_," she teased.

Emily, however, seemed to seriously consider this suggestion as the two made their way back to the table. Becker had disappeared - Jess looked around briefly till she saw him up by the counter - and Matt had clearly been left behind to guard the table. Jess smiled, pleased at the opportunity that had just presented itself, and nudged Emily to sit with Matt so that Jess could share the bench with Becker when he returned.

"Becker went to get more coffee," Matt explained as the two girls took their seats.

"Actually," Emily said, starting to slide back out of the booth, "I would prefer-"

But Matt stopped her. "Yeah, I told him."

Emily turned and gave him a grateful smile, settling back into her seat. However, Jess noticed that Matt quickly removed his hand from her arm and scooted away so the two could keep a respectful distance from each other on the bench. Jess frowned. Clearly the two liked each other. Why couldn't they simply be honest about their feelings?

Becker approached with their four hot drinks precariously balanced in his hands, placing the cups quickly on the table so as not to drop them. He started to hand them out and then paused, suddenly realising they'd switched seats in his absence.

"I saved a spot just for you," Jess said with a grin, patting the bench next to her. As he sat down, she snuggled up close to him, saying, "Thanks for the coffee."

"I...uh...only got drinks," Becker said. "If you want more food, too, I could always-"

"No, we're fine," Jess insisted, grasping hold of his arm and smiling up at him.

"Jess was just suggesting that I should write a book," Emily announced.

Matt had been just about to take a drink and was clearly thankful that the liquid had not yet reached him mouth. "A book?" he asked, raising a wry eyebrow. "On what topic?"

"_Everyday Things We Take For Granted_."

Matt smiled. "Plants would obviously top that list."

"Plants?" Emily said with some disdain. "I was thinking more along the lines of toilet tissue."

As the two started a friendly argument as to the virtues of each, Jess smiled, sipping her frothy coffee and snuggling against Becker, currently in no danger of taking either of these for granted.

...

Becker had never realised before that being in a conversation with Jess was much like lazily floating down a river - one could have an enjoyable time and make a lot of headway without really exerting much effort. Becker was grateful for this because his mind was too busy churning to pay much attention as Jess merrily flowed from topic to topic.

Becker's thoughts, instead, were focussed on only one.

It wasn't as if he'd never heard a girl use the "L-word" before; he'd just rarely been dressed at the time. But not only had he and Jess both been completely clothed, they'd been standing in the middle of a cafe, discussing his lack of conversational savvy - not exactly the most erotic of settings. He'd therefore been completely caught off-guard by her comment, and his brain was still having a hard time comprehending it.

No, comprehending wasn't the correct word, for he knew EXACTLY what the word, and all that it implied, meant. Jess had said it casually, without even thinking about it, as if it were something obvious that was already known, had in fact ALWAYS been known. She could just as well have said, "I adore shoes," or "Dark chocolate is my favourite." And what was almost worse, she hadn't even particularly noticed that she'd used the phrase, as if it'd slipped out unconsciously.

But Becker had noticed. And now it was making him extremely nervous.

Partly because this whole thing was so new to him. He'd, of course, had girlfriends before, but they'd never really been his "friends". He'd never had much time for girls as friends when he was younger, though that had obviously changed since working at the ARC. Some of his best "men" were females, and naturally he'd become mates with many of them. He got along with Abby swimmingly, though of course she was nothing like Jess. For one thing, Abby'd always been off-limits, so he'd never even considered thinking of her that way. She was simply a coworker, a mate, someone he fought side-by-side with, whom he trusted his life to.

Which, of course, described Jess as well, but that was different. She wasn't in the field with him; she was back at the hub, out of the firing line. Not that he didn't respect the work she did - he'd be the first to admit that she was amazing at her job - but she wasn't a peer, per se. More importantly, she'd made it extremely clear from day one that she was interested in him. And she did look amazingly hot in those short skirts of hers.

Yet the two had still managed to become friends. Good friends. Possibly the closest friend he had at the moment. Not only that, they were now "dating", whatever that meant. In fact, at this very moment, she was cuddled up against his side, practically purring with contentment as she chattered away with Matt and Emily. And, by her own admission, she loved him.

It was about this last that Becker still trying to come to terms, still not certain how he felt.

What he did feel, however, was Jess suddenly startle in his arms, a reaction that made sense when she quickly pulled her mobile from her pocket.

Her reaction to the incoming message, however, was for her cheeks to instantly turn pink. He glanced down at the screen, curious as to what had caused such embarrassment, and managed to read the text - **The hangers off the door knob** - before Jess yanked it away from him.

"Hey," she scolded, glaring at him. "It's MY phone."

"When you're practically sitting in my lap, I think it becomes OUR phone," he teased without thinking before instantly wondering if it had been the right thing to say. Might she think it meant more than it did? Would she somehow misinterpret his teasing? Would referring to items as "our" somehow suggest even more of a relationship than they currently had? Would it imply he reciprocated her feelings? Was this in some way leading her on?

But Jess merely laughed and playfully swatted him, as if his comment meant no more than their earlier banter about beach volleyball.

And it didn't, did it?

"What did the message say?" Emily asked, clearly curious as well.

Becker could tell that Jess didn't know quite how to answer the former Victorian, so he quickly replied with a simple, "We can head back to the flat now."

Matt gave Becker a knowing look, which the soldier acknowledged with a nod as the foursome slid out of the booth. Making their way outside, they discovered the day had become rather nice, and Becker regretted having spent all morning trapped inside.

Unfortunately, that's where he was going to spend his entire afternoon as well, for Connor practically met them at the door with an enthusiastic, "What took you so long? We've been waiting forever. Abby wouldn't let me start the opening ceremonies without you."

"Cheers," Matt thanked Abby as they all gathered about the telly. Abby and Connor snuggled up together on the comfy chair, clearly relaxed and satisfied after their morning activities, leaving the other four to attempt to squeeze onto the sofa. Jess, the consummate hostess, gave up her seat, sitting on the floor at Becker's feet as Connor turned on the festivities.

Although they'd watched the beginning together last night, Connor insisted that they watch it again "to get the full effect". As Bradley Wiggins once more approached the bell in his loud yellow jersey, Becker couldn't help but hold his breath, fearing the worst, but this time the bell itself was all that sounded.

The next part was very much as Jess had described. Grand theatrics weren't really Becker's thing, and he might've grown bored had Jess not suddenly, without preamble, began to remove one of his boots.

"What're you doing?" he asked, self-consciously yanking his foot away.

"I'm giving you a foot rub." She suddenly frowned, adding, "Assuming you like them, of course."

"I like 'em," Connor eagerly volunteered, but Abby's frown made him back off.

Becker liked them as well, but he was quick to explain, "My feet are kind of...uh...smelly."

Jess shrugged. "I don't mind," she said with a smile. However, once she removed the shoe, her nose crinkled up, and she tossed the odiferous boot far across the room. "Boy, you're right! We need to get you some foot powder, stat!"

Becker felt bad, but he HAD warned her. He expected her to forget the whole thing, so he was surprised when she began to remove his other boot.

"What're you doing?" He simply couldn't believe she was going to proceed.

"Giving you a foot rub," Emily stated shortly, clearly annoyed that they were talking through the show.

Jess nodded her assent, and Becker nervously let her continue. Once the other boot was off, she began rubbing his feet, both simultaneously for a bit before concentrating on one foot at a time, using both hands to massage and knead his tight muscles. It felt amazing, but even Becker himself could smell his foul feet, so he couldn't imagine the stench assaulting Jess's nose. However, she seemed perfectly content to watch the rest of the festivities sitting on the floor, leaning back against his legs as she held his stinky feet in her lap.

Clearly her choice of words earlier hadn't been an accident, for "love" was the only way to explain why she'd endure such torture!

...

to be continued


	15. Ch 15 AN ABRUPT ALTERCATION

Let the Games Begin

...

[Author's Note: there is a LOT more coming to this story - we only just had the opening ceremonies, and this story will cover the entire Olympics, so just hold on, for this is going to be a LONG ride.]

...

Chapter 15 - AN ABRUPT ALTERCATION

...

Starting work at 4 in the afternoon just felt weird! Despite her lack of sleep last night, Jess felt relatively awake, having spent such a relaxing day, first at the cafe and then at the flat.

She'd particularly enjoyed rubbing Becker's feet. Not the smell, of course - she was definitely going to buy him some foot powder tomorrow. But she'd been in the mood for a cuddle, and since she'd offered to sit on the floor, rubbing his feet was the only way she could think of to do so. She liked being near him - she liked touching him - and if his feet were all the closer she could get in a roomful of people, then she would happily take it.

And perhaps next time he'd be willing to trade places!

Since they'd arrived at work, however, Becker had disappeared, no doubt working on writing up his incident report about the incursion last night. Jess couldn't wait to read it - perhaps then she'd be able to sleep easier tonight.

The others, however, seemed a bit out of sorts with the strange schedule. Luckily, they had the Games to help pass the time.

"How're we doing?" Matt asked as he wandered up to the hub.

"Less than ten minutes left," Emily answered, her eyes not straying from the monitor - the Minister had clearly created some kind of monster, for the former Victorian was now completely obsessed with the sport. "We are ahead of...what team are we playing?"

"Cameroon," Jess helpfully answered.

But Emily frowned and turned to her, confused. "Cameroon? That is a nation?"

Jess nodded. "In the middle of Africa somewhere, I believe."

"Anyroad," Matt said, trying to bring the topic back round, "what's the score?"

"2 - 0." But Emily's attention was suddenly drawn back to the monitor as one of the GB players made a great strike from the edge of the box. "Correction," Emily said, turning to Matt with a broad grin. "3 - 0."

Matt laughed. "Good to see Team GB is good at something." Back at the flat that afternoon, they'd switched over to the Games after the opening ceremonies, but it seemed the home team wasn't doing as well as hoped so far.

Matt wandered off as the girls turned their attention back to the match. No more goals were scored, and afterwards, Jess searched the web to see what else they could find on the day's events.

"Ooh, those're the Equestrian events, yeah?" Connor asked, hurrying over as Jess clicked on a site.

"Just pictures, I'm afraid," Jess replied. "Those events are all done for the day."

"Is that not where Lester was this morning?" Emily asked.

"Exactly," Connor said, explaining his interest. He then laughed, joking, "We should try to spot him in the crowd; finally see what that infamous wife of his actually looks like."

"Is that him?" Emily asked, pointing to a good shot of the crowd.

Jess shrugged. "He's too far away - we're not going to be able to tell if it's him."

"Then why do you not...what is the word...zoom?" Emily asked.

"Zooming's not going to work," Jess explained. "These images are low-res."

"Yeah," Connor agreed. "From this distance, Lester's head would only be a few pixels across - definitely not enough to ID him...nor his wife."

"But they zoom on television shows - I have seen them," Emily insisted. "I saw them zoom in on a photo so you could see the reflection of the murderer in the glasses of the victim. You should do that."

"Emily, we can't," Jess said, frustrated that television shows gave such a distorted view of technology.

"Yeah," Connor agreed, "it's never gonna happen."

"Then someone needs to speak to Lester about getting you better equipment," Emily said determinedly, heading off before they could try explaining.

...

Becker had been avoiding the hub all shift. It hadn't taken long to write up his incident report, but he was dreading turning it in. It was certain to bring up the topic he'd been trying to steer clear of, and he wasn't looking forward to discussing it after the relaxing afternoon he'd spent with Jess.

Lunch break in the canteen had been agreeable enough, thanks to everyone being a bit out of sorts with the odd schedule. Sensing this, Jess had skillfully kept the conversation on pleasant topics, including informing everyone that Team GB was playing Australia in Women's basketball at five past ten.

That was when Becker realised that was his deadline. Although basketball wasn't their favourite sport, he knew many of his coworkers would find excuses to be around the hub at 2205, hoping that watching the game would help the end of their shift arrive faster. If he planned it well, he could give Jess his report close enough to tip-off time to avoid an unpleasant talk. Of course, that'd only be delaying the inevitable, as he'd be driving her home after work, but perhaps Team GB would win and Jess would forget to bring it up.

However, as Becker made his way to Ops to turn in his report, it suddenly occurred to him that he'd been planning his entire work shift so he wouldn't be alone with Jess. The last thing he'd wanted was for their relationship to get in the way of his job - isn't that one of the reasons why he'd put her off for so long? Yet here he was, doing exactly that - avoiding the hub all shift, strategically planning when to turn in his report!

What the hell was his problem? This was so not okay!

Becker gave an incensed sigh, angry with himself...and frankly frustrated with the entire situation.

And to make matters worse, he noticed Jess's head starting to tilt forward at an odd angle as he approached the hub.

"Jess?"

At the sound of his voice, Jess jumped, sitting bolt upright and frantically blinking her eyes.

"Jess!" His voice was low, despite his surprise at what he'd just witnessed. "Were you dozing off?"

"No. Well...maybe. But only for, like, a minute or two," Jess admitted as she frantically skimmed her eyes over the readouts on the monitors. After a quick perusal, she relaxed, seemingly deciding that her quick kip hadn't caused any real damage.

But that wasn't the point.

"Jessica!" Becker scolded.

"I'm sorry," she said, looking extremely guilty. "Please don't tell anyone. Like I said, I wasn't out for very long. And I promise it won't happen again - I'm well awake now."

"It's not even 2200 - you shouldn't be that sleepy." But then it hit him. "You didn't sleep last night, did you?" he accused. "You said you'd be fine, sleeping with the girls again, but you weren't."

"I was," she insisted. "I mean, Abby and Emily weren't the problem."

"Then what?"

Jess just stared at him, nervously biting her lower lip, obviously not wanting to tell him the truth.

"I can't believe it!" he said, his voice now getting louder as his anger grew. She'd fallen asleep at work AND she hadn't been honest with him - this wasn't the Jess he knew! "You lied to me, Jess!"

"I had to," Jess insisted. He glowered at her, and she quickly blurted out, "I didn't want you to worry."

"Of COURSE I'm worried, Jess! Not sleeping at night is bad enough, but when it starts affecting your work-"

"I was worried, too," Jess interrupted. "About YOU. That's why I didn't sleep!"

Becker just stared, not following.

She went on. "I was lying in bed, just on the verge of sleep, when I suddenly remembered what happened to you at the incursion. Only I didn't KNOW what'd happened - I only knew that something had, something that spooked you, and I could only imagine what it could be. So my mind started going over all the dreadful possibilities of what might've occurred down there in the water, and I couldn't turn it off. My thoughts kept churning and churning, and I simply couldn't fall asleep because I was so sick with worry."

Becker glared back at her. He couldn't believe it! How DARE she lay this guilt trip on him, just because SHE'D fallen asleep at work! He wasn't the one who'd done anything wrong - he'd simply done his job, just as he'd always done, and that job did NOT involve sharing every minute fact with Jess. He'd made it back to the ARC in one piece, but suddenly that wasn't good enough for her, she wanted to hear every bloody detail. And just because he wouldn't share, now she was going to make him feel guilty and blame him for her kip? No, he was NOT going to let her get away with that!

"Don't blame ME for your neuroses, Jessica. This was entirely your own doing, not mine. I never asked you to worry about me - I was simply doing my job. And speaking of, here's my damn incident report," he said, slamming it down on the hub, causing Jess to jump. "It doesn't say a thing about it, but yes, Jessica, since you're so bloody determined to know, last night the creature knocked into me and I momentarily lost my regulator. Happy now?!"

And he turned and stormed out of Ops, right past the rest of the team, who'd already started assembling for the basketball game.

...

to be continued


	16. Ch 16 PERSUASIVE POINTS

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 16 - PERSUASIVE POINTS

...

Jess hadn't allowed herself to cry at work, especially not with everyone around. Abby had naturally been quick to comfort her. And dear, sweet Connor had even offered to tell off Becker for behaving like such a prat, though it certainly would've resulted in a pummelling so Jess had persuaded him not to. She'd felt sick to her stomach over the entire row, especially the fact that all their friends had witnessed it, and she'd barely been able to concentrate on work, let alone the basketball game, for the rest of her shift.

Jess hadn't allowed herself to cry in the car on the way home either. She might've considered riding home with someone else, but there was Becker, at midnight, impatiently tapping his foot as he waited for her. He seemed to have calmed down a bit from earlier, but not enough to have the rational discussion that they needed, so they made the drive in uncomfortable silence...except for a few involuntary gasps Jess let slip at his reckless driving.

The nice thing about working the swing shift was that it was late when they got home, so at least there was no awkwardness of trying to pass the time till bed. With Lester gone, Abby and Connor were spending the night together in their room, meaning Jess only had to share hers with Emily. She wished she could be alone, for then she could cry it all out, but at least it wasn't so crowded in the bed, and Jess hoped that she'd be able to clear her mind enough to sleep.

But once the lights were off, Jess lay there in the darkness, unable to calm her thoughts. She felt incredibly guilty about having dozed off, even though she knew it had only been for a minute. And she felt incredibly guilty about making Becker so upset. True, she'd lied to him about sleeping well, but that hadn't seemed to be what set him off. Worst of all, it seemed their relationship was falling apart almost before it'd had a chance to start, and she gave a depressed sigh as she wondered if it were already over.

"Is everything well with you?"

Emily's quiet voice through the stillness seemed to open up the floodgates, and Jess, no longer able to be brave, burst into tears. A moment later, Jess felt her friend put a comforting arm about her, but instead of its intended effect, it only made Jess cry harder. Emily said nothing, merely holding Jess close and allowing her to give release to all her sadness.

Finally, the stream slowed and eventually came to a stop. Into the silence, Emily asked tenderly, "Feel better?"

Jess nodded, not yet trusting her voice.

The two simply lay in the darkness for a time, Emily still holding Jess as her breathing calmed. Once she was finally quieted, Emily moved back to her side of the bed as Jess gave a simple, "Thanks."

"If it would help, I am happy to listen."

Jess shrugged. "I don't even know where to begin."

Emily merely gave an encouraging smile, and suddenly Jess couldn't stop talking. Everything that had happened since last night - Becker refusing to tell her what happened at the anomaly, her anxiety and resulting lack of sleep, his attempts to avoid the topic at breakfast, her dozing off, and the resulting row - all of it flowed from her tongue without much pause for breathing. It felt so good to get it all off her chest and out in the open.

When she finally got to the end, the room descended into silence, and for a moment Jess wondered if Emily had fallen asleep. However, it seemed she'd merely been trying to choose her next words carefully.

"When I went home, back to my own time, I was...miserable," she began, seemingly changing the subject rather dramatically. "Henry had not loved me, even before I left, and it seemed, in my absence, that he missed not me but merely what my disappearance had cost him - his dignity and his ever-dear social standing. Yet upon my return, he would simply not let me be. He hounded me relentlessly, demanding to know where I had been, although I am certain he did not truly care, at least not for my sake."

Jess frowned - Emily had been so good about listening to her problems, she knew she owed her friend the same in return, but she was finding it hard to switch gears. "But you COULDN'T tell him the truth," she insisted. "If you had, he certainly would've thought you were-" Jess stopped before she said the word "insane," but it was still out there. Brilliant, Jess scolded herself - way to make her feel better! "I'm sorry!" she quickly apologised. "I didn't mean to-"

"Do not fret," Emily said. "You are right, though I believe it was more Henry's wounded pride that led him to..." She trailed off, obviously thinking about where she'd almost ended up. Jess felt rotten and was determined not to stick her foot in it again - instead, she'd stay quiet and simply let Emily talk, as her friend had done for her only minutes ago.

"But even if I COULD have told him," Emily finally went on, "I would not have wanted to. I...chose to go home, to put the past behind me. I was determined to go on with my life, but to do so, I needed to forget about all the things I had seen, all the places I had been...all the people I had met. But how could I, when Henry was constantly demanding that I remember? All the fear I had felt over those three years, all the pain and sorrow I had experienced, it was always with me because I was simply not allowed to forget.

"When the killings started, I was frankly relieved. Trying to find the creature, to stop it, I finally had a way to focus my fear, to give some meaning to it. I felt I was useful again, that all that had happened to me had not been without purpose." Emily smiled through the darkness at her friend. "And now that I am back here, working with you and the others, I am pleased that my experiences may be put to good use...but that does not mean that I wish to remember every creature I fought when I was travelling through the gateways."

The room descended into stillness, with Emily's words still ringing in the air. Jess felt such a fool. She'd thought Emily was simply baring her own soul - she hadn't even recognised that Emily was actually speaking to Jess's situation...or, more specifically, to Becker's.

He'd told her he was fine, he'd said he didn't want to talk about what had happened during his dive, yet Jess hadn't let up. She'd forced the issue, asking - no, DEMANDING that he tell her all. But clearly he hadn't wanted to dwell on it. He'd wanted to forget, to move on, and she hadn't let him. She felt horrible.

And she felt bad for her friend as well. What a terrible experience to have lived through, and then to have her husband make it that much worse must've been unbearable. But she was safely here now, and no one would force her to relive the past if she didn't want to.

"I'm sorry about what happened," Jess said. "And thank you for pointing out how dreadful I've been to Becker."

"I did not mean to imply-" Emily hastily began, but Jess stopped her.

"No, I have been dreadful. And I plan to apologise to Becker first thing in the morning."

She only hoped that it wasn't already too late.

...

Becker's watch alarm went off again the next morning, but he was already awake and had been for some time. Sleep had brought his anger down to a dull roar, and he hoped a long run, before anyone else awoke, would help him calm down enough to face the day.

He was therefore a bit disappointed when Matt silently got up and started getting dressed as well.

"You going for a run?" Becker asked.

"No, thought I'd take a swim in the Thames, mate," Matt replied drily.

Becker rolled his eyes and said nothing more until they got outside, the door shut behind them.

"I was planning a...uh...LONG run this morning," Becker warned, hoping Matt would take the hint and go his separate way.

Instead, Matt nodded, replying, "Figured as much."

Becker wasn't sure what he meant by that, but the team leader's face gave nothing away. They started off into the chilly morning together, setting up a faster pace than usual. As they continued, Becker slowly began to speed up, but Matt matched him, stride by stride. After crossing one particular intersection, without even giving it much thought, Becker spontaneously started sprinting. Matt followed his lead, and the two ran full-out, neck and neck, down two city blocks before they were rudely interrupted by a cabbie turning left directly in front of them, causing them both to pull up short to avoid being hit.

Returning to the pavement, they both paused to catch their breath. Much to Becker's chagrin, Matt was the first to recover. "Feel better?" he asked, raising a wry eyebrow.

Becker nodded, even as he put his hand to his side to try to ease the cramping. It had felt good to run, to get it all out. Because he knew he'd been as angry with himself as he had been with Jess last night, though that self-knowledge didn't make things any easier.

And neither did Matt's next comment.

"Jess has a vivid imagination," he stated simply with little emotion. "It's what makes her a brilliant field coordinator. She can foresee dangers before they happen and plan accordingly. I can't count the number of times she's probably saved my life by thinking ahead." He took a breath before continuing, "But I'd bet that imagination comes with a rather steep price tag, especially in the middle of the night."

Becker couldn't believe it! He hadn't invited Matt along simply to give him a lecture. In fact, he hadn't even INVITED him; the bloke had simply invited himself.

Yet when Matt gestured to the now-clear zebra crossing, Becker automatically nodded and jogged across the road with him. This time, as they made their way down the street, Matt set the pace, much slower than Becker's had been, giving the soldier a chance to think clearly.

To the steady beat of their footsteps, it was slowly being drummed into Becker that, despite appearances, Matt hadn't been trying a lay a guilt trip on him...and neither had Jess. They were both simply explaining why Jess had questioned him, why she'd been so desperate to know what happened. Matt was definitely right, for Becker himself had benefitted from Jess's imagination on numerous occasions - he even recalled how she'd thought of everything when it came to their footy practices. And wasn't her pet peeve people prefacing their sentences with "I'm afraid I've some bad news" precisely because she often came up with a million different worst-case scenarios?

Yet none of this had occurred to Becker when she'd first asked him about the anomaly. He'd been so focussed on not wanting to think about what had happened, on protecting his own well-being, that he hadn't even considered her point of view. But now he realised that it only made sense that Jess wouldn't have slept - she'd probably envisioned far worse things happening than Becker simply being knocked and losing his regulator. So it seemed he was, in fact, partly to blame for her being so sleepy at work, yet then he'd gone and yelled at her in front of all their friends. Becker sighed - there was nothing worse than realising he'd behaved like a world-class prat.

Matt glanced over at Becker briefly before returning his gaze to the pavement in front of them. After a minute, he randomly commented, "Remember that PTSD training Lester made everyone take?" Matt seemed to wait until Becker acknowledged with a nod before continuing, "They taught us that if there's someone you can talk to immediately after a trauma - a family member...or perhaps a loved one? - it can help prevent the long-term effects from settling in." They had reached a busy intersection and the two men jogged in place as Matt looked over and shrugged. "Just saying, mate."

The traffic cleared and Matt ran on across the street. Becker, however, was slow to follow because he was still considering Matt's words.

...

to be continued


	17. Ch 17 AMOROUS APOLOGIES

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 17 - AMOROUS APOLOGIES

...

Jess awoke early the next morning, and her first thought was of Becker. The sooner she apologised, the sooner she could start making amends for the horrid way she'd badgered him. She quietly crawled out of bed so as not to disrupt Emily's sleep and hurried down the stairs.

But Becker and Matt were gone, no doubt out on a morning run. So she sat down at her computer, mindlessly checking her emails and the daily medal count on the London 2012 site. Her mind, however, simply wasn't in it - she couldn't even get excited about the mid-season sale at Irregular Choice - because she was too worried about how things stood with Becker.

After awhile, Emily made her way down the stairs, already dressed for the day. She greeted Jess was a friendly but tentative "Good morning," though Jess recognised what she was really implying.

"Yes, I slept well, all because of you," Jess said gratefully. "And thanks again...for everything."

Emily nodded before glancing about. "Where are the others?"

"Out for a run, I'm guessing," Jess said.

Emily nodded before turning and heading back towards the bedrooms. She returned a moment later with her book in hand and curled up on the sofa.

"So what's happening?" Jess asked, gesturing to the book.

"Fantine just lost her work at the factory."

"Oh, POOR Fantine! How terrible to be so alone and desperate." Jess only hoped she didn't end up alone after the way she'd treated Becker.

Emily, however, only nodded and returned to the book, leaving Jess to wonder how to pass the time. She decided to go get dressed herself - she'd prefer not to have her talk with Becker in front of the others, in case it turned ugly, so she wanted to be able to leave the flat with him the moment he returned. She rushed up the stairs, foregoing a shower because she didn't want to miss his arrival, and quickly dressed for the day. She wore her yellow skort - something about wearing bright yellow always put her in a better mood - and was just putting on her new turquoise-striped shoes when she heard a noise downstairs. Certain it was the boys getting back, she hurried down the stairs and was disappointed to discover it was only Emily, opening every cupboard in the kitchen looking for tea. Jess offered to make it for her friend, insisting Emily should go back to her book, for at least it would give Jess something to do.

Once the water boiled, she walked the steaming cup over to her friend just as Connor came bounding down the stairs, asking, "Wot, no coffee?"

Before Jess could answer, Abby appeared, scolding, "Connor, you can make your own coffee - don't make Jess wait on you."

"I don't mind," Jess said, pleased to have another task to fill the time.

"See, Abby? She don't mind," Connor said, giving Jess a friendly peck on the cheek as he passed. He then made his way to the front room and flopped down next to Emily on the sofa, flipping on the telly as he hollered back, "So what events are on this morning, you know, Jess?"

Emily stood up, clearly annoyed at the interruption, and headed towards the stairs as Jess replied, "There's loads of events today - more basketball and Equestrian competitions, hockey and boxing, and there's men's football..."

"Football," Emily said, slamming her book closed and eagerly heading back towards the sofa.

Jess continued, "But not till noon, I'm afraid."

Emily let out a frustrated sigh and turned back towards the stairs.

However, Abby stopped her before she got far. "Since we don't work till 4 again today, what do you all say to a large home-cooked breakfast? Eggs, sausages, grilled tomatoes..."

"Yes please!" Connor called out from the sofa, flashing his fiance an eager grin.

"I would be most happy to assist," Emily said.

Abby nodded. "And how 'bout you, Jess? Interested?"

Although Jess's stomach was growling, she didn't want to commit to a meal. Becker was sure to arrive any minute, and she'd thought perhaps they could go for breakfast somewhere, just the two of them, giving them a chance to talk. "No, I'm fine."

"You sure?" Abby asked as she grabbed the eggs out of the refrigerator.

Jess nodded. "I'm sure."

So Abby and Emily set about cooking breakfast. Jess felt awkward hanging about the kitchen when she wasn't going to eat, so she went and joined Connor on the couch. He was mindlessly flipping channels, going from one Olympic event to another, not staying on any one channel long enough to even catch the competitors' names at times. Jess was on the verge of impatiently grabbing the remote from his hands when his fiance nonchalantly commented, "I think women's beach volleyball is on BBC3 right now." Connor eagerly changed the channel and kept it there, and Jess turned to give Abby a grateful smile.

The smell of the food was beginning to fill the flat, making Jess's stomach audibly rumble. Connor must've heard it for he hollered towards the kitchen, "Abby, put in some toast for Jess."

"No, really," Jess insisted. "I'll wait."

But she was starting to get more and more anxious. Where could Becker and Matt be? They'd been gone for ages - why weren't they back yet? Had something happened? There were so many foreign tourists in the city for the Games, perhaps there'd been in an accident, someone driving down the wrong side of the road maybe? Becker mightn't have seen the car till it was too late, and as a result got hurt. Perhaps he'd been rushed to hospital - hadn't she heard a siren in the distance not so long ago? And maybe Matt's mobile had been destroyed as well, for surely he would've-

The sound of the front door opening below was the best noise Jess had ever heard. She leapt to her feet and rushed down the stairs, throwing her arms around Becker practically before he was in the door. She then got control of her senses and stepped back, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "Sorry," she said. "I just thought... you're late." She then took in him and Matt and added, "You're sweaty."

"Yeah," Matt acknowledged, squeezing past Jess and heading up the stairs, leaving her alone with Becker.

"Morning, Jess." He was a bit winded, no doubt from his run, which made it hard to read his tone. Was he pleased to see her? Was he still angry? Was he liable to break up with her at any minute?

"Can we talk?" Jess blurted out.

Becker frowned. "As you said, I'm..." He gestured to himself.

"Sweaty! Oh, of course! I'm sorry - I didn't even think. Of course you'll want to take a shower."

He nodded. "But yeah. Afterwards. Let's definitely talk."

The two of them walked up the stairs to the landing, and then Becker continued on up to the bathroom as Jess made her way to the kitchen. The smell of breakfast was now overwhelming, and the others were already sat at the table, tucking in. Now that Becker was back, she knew she'd be eating soon, so she tried to resist the urge to grab something.

Connor, however, held out a piece of toast covered in orange marmalade, offering, "Here, Jess."

She shook her head. "Connor, I'm leaving in a-"

"C'mon. From the sounds your stomach was making, I'd bet you can down this before Becker's even out of the shower."

Jess smiled and gratefully took it.

And her hunger made certain that Connor won that bet.

...

Becker spent his entire shower fretting. He'd been staggered by Jess's welcome when he got home, and it wasn't just because she'd caught him off-balance on the threshold. After the way he'd treated her last night, he hadn't thought she'd want to come anywhere near him, so he took her frantic embrace as a good sign.

But even though she'd seemed pleased, and almost relieved, to see him, that wasn't going to make this talk any easier. Becker wasn't exactly good at apologising, let alone grovelling, because he was usually too proud to admit he was wrong. That wasn't the case this time - he was more than willing to admit he'd behaved like a prat - but he still didn't relish the upcoming confrontation. Confronting his men at work, that was one thing - confronting Jess, whose big blue eyes were liable to well up with tears if he said the wrong thing, was quite another.

However, he realised he couldn't hide in the shower forever. He turned off the water but took his time getting dressed, trying to put off the talk for as long as possible. He could smell breakfast wafting upstairs and suddenly realised how hungry he was, though the last thing he wanted was to eat with the others. He needed to talk to Jess - and Jess alone - before he could possibly face their flatmates again.

When he came down the stairs, Jess was standing round the corner, handbag in hand, obviously ready to walk out the door. He nodded, and the two of them headed down the stairs without a word.

Once on the street, he asked, "So...where shall we go?"

Jess shrugged. "I was thinking...we could go to the cafe?" she offered tentatively.

But Becker gave an adamant "No!" - he'd already made a fool of himself in public last night, he didn't need to do so again this morning. However, his answer came out so harsh that Jess winced. Goddammit, he scolded himself, and quickly explained, "I mean, I... we need... I think we should talk in private."

Jess nodded. "Private. Okay. Um...any ideas?"

Becker didn't have any. As far as he was concerned, private talks should be PRIVATE, within the confines of "home". Unfortunately, however, at present Jess's home was filled with workmates and his with strangers with deep pockets. He absently glanced about, trying to think, and spotted his car. Having a serious discussion in a car seemed so adolescent, like a throwback to his teenage years, but what other choice did they have?

"C'mon," he said, grabbing Jess's hand and dragging her across the street towards his car. He unlocked it and automatically opened the door for her before hurrying back around to the driver's side to get in.

Once the doors were closed, he turned to Jess, not certain how to start.

"Uh...good morning?" he began awkwardly.

Jess smiled shyly in return. "I hope so," she replied nervously.

Becker took a deep breath, knowing it'd be easier if he just did it quickly. "Look, Jess, I-"

"Becker, I am SO sorry! I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. You said you were okay, and I should've trusted that, and clearly you ARE okay or you wouldn't be here now, so I was totally out of line to demand that you tell me what happened because really it's none of my business. I just... I'm used to watching the CCTV feeds and knowing what's going on, but this time I couldn't, and everything seemed to turn out fine, but then you were weird when I brought up the anomaly and I instantly knew that something had happened to spook you, so obviously I wanted to know what it was because I worry about you! But I know I shouldn't have kept on at you when you wouldn't tell me, I should've just taken your answer and accepted it, and I'm sorry that I made you miserable and I promise I won't-"

"Jess!" Becker said, realising that if he didn't interrupt her, he'd never get a word in. "It's okay. In fact, I should be the one apologising. You were just worried about me, and I was being stubborn...and...stupid."

"But you weren't," Jess insisted. "You didn't want to dwell on the past, and I understand that now. No pressure from now on, I promise. If you say you don't want to talk about something, I won't make you. Let's just forget the anomaly ever happened, okay?"

Uggh! Why wouldn't she simply shut up and just let him talk?

"Jess, please, just let me apologise. I shouldn't have yelled at you last night, I was just frustrated, with myself as much as you. I just...I didn't want 'us' getting in the way of work-"

"And it won't," Jess said frantically. "I promise! I won't let 'us' affect how you do your job or I do mine. We'll be fine."

Becker realised from her pleading tone that she must be thinking he was calling things off, and he definitely didn't want to give her that impression. "Look, Jess, it's okay, I'm not saying we should break up or anything." The look of sheer relief on her face made him feel immensely better, made him, for some reason, want to share every intimate detail of the underwater incident with her. He tenderly took her hand, saying, "In fact, if you'll let me, I'd really like to tell you about what happened. It would make me-"

"But you don't have to tell me anything. Really! I don't even want to know anymore."

Becker gave a frustrated sigh - she'd hounded him for nearly 24 hours, and now that he wanted - no, NEEDED to tell her, needed to get it off his chest, she wouldn't give him the chance.

He was simply going to have to forge ahead, regardless of her protests.

"The problem with night diving is the disorientation," he began, trying to give her a bit of background. "So when the creature knocked me-"

His tale was abruptly interrupted by Jess suddenly pressing her lips to his. His initial reaction was frustration over not being allowed to finish, but then the other part of his brain took over. While they'd spent loads of time together recently, and he'd even fallen asleep with her in his arms Thursday night, it had actually been days since he'd felt Jess's lips against his, and they were exactly what he needed right now. She tasted of marmalade and urgent longing, and he simply couldn't get enough. His arms wrapped about her, deepening the kiss as he attempted to pull her closer, but the damn gearshift was in the way! He flashed back once again to his teenage years, trying to remember how they'd dealt with this issue back then. But before he could come up with a suitable solution, Jess simply climbed over onto his lap, straddling his thighs with her knees pressed against his hips.

She felt so good, yet some part of his brain realised there wasn't much room for her here on his lap, and he imagined the steering wheel was digging into her back. He definitely didn't want to stop, or even let go of her, but he knew he should give her more room, so he let his right arm reach down to fumble for the reclining lever. However, he accidentally found her bare thigh instead and felt her gasp into his mouth at his unexpected touch. He enjoyed that reaction and decided reclining could wait as he returned his hand deliberately to her thigh and started reaching up her skirt. Her breathing became even more ragged as his hand neared her knickers and started to roam across.

Between kisses, Jess seemed to mumble something about, "And of course...I chose today...to wear a bloody skort." But before he could even wonder what that cryptic statement meant, he suddenly fell backwards, Jess landing hard atop his chest as the seatback abruptly reclined.

He now realised he'd been so distracted, he'd momentarily forgotten all about the recliner release, but clearly she hadn't. "Good girl!" Becker praised, glad at least one of them still had their wits about them.

Jess, however, pulled up for a moment, looking down at him with a wicked grin as she said, "Not THAT good!"

"Pretty damn good!" he growled, lifting his head up to meet hers, not willing to wait. She eagerly pushed back, and his head slammed down into the headrest.

He let slip a moan of pain, and she immediately sat back, cringing. "Sorry!" But he shook his head, pulling her back down to him while his other hand started roaming under her skirt again. His hand felt further and further, and his fingers slowly reached under the elastic legging of her...

_knock knock knock_

The sudden pounding on the window practically made Becker's heart stop, and Jess instantly jumped back, cracking her head on the ceiling. Rubbing her injury with one hand, she rolled down the window to a sheepish Connor.

"Really sorry to interrupt, guys," Connor said, looking contrite, "but Abby wanted me to catch you before you left. She needs you to buy bread - we're out." He awkwardly handed Jess a fiver and then took a step backwards. "So...uh...as you were, I guess," he said with a friendly shrug before hurrying back across the street towards the flat.

Smiling with embarrassment, Jess turned back to Becker, who hadn't even bothered to sit up, though he had thought to remove his hand from her thigh. "So...hungry for breakfast?" she asked, somewhat chagrinned.

"Hungry for something," he growled, pulling her back down to him. They attempted to pick up where they'd left off, but the interruption had definitely put a damper on things.

As did what Becker saw out the window next.

"Oh God," he said, pushing her away as he attempted to sit up. "Get off."

His voice was so forceful, she sat back abruptly, crashing her spine into the steering wheel. As she cringed in pain, she asked nervously, "What is it?"

He shook his head, and Jess crawled back over to her own seat, asking again, "What? Did I-?"

"No, Jess, it's not you," he said as he sat his seatback upright and quickly turned the key in the ignition. He then glanced over and saw a look of sheer fear on her face. He leant over and gave her a friendly peck before saying, "Let's just go get some breakfast, yeah?"

Jess nodded, but she still looked upset. "Did something-?" she began, but he cut her off.

"I don't want to talk about it, yeah?" he stated pointedly with what he hoped was a reassuring smile, praying she was true to her word and didn't press the issue.

Because the last thing he wanted to do was tell her about their audience, now staring down at them from the first floor windows of the flat, clearly enjoying their sport.

...

to be continued


	18. Ch 18 ERRANDS & ADVERTS

Let the Games Begin

...

_[Author's note: Thank so you so much to all the people who have been posting regular reviews to this story - it's totally inspiring to know that people are enjoying it. And please, if you haven't been reviewing, I'd love a quick message just to let me know you're enjoying it. There's lots more to come!]_

...

Chapter 18 - ERRANDS & ADVERTS

...

If they hadn't been buying bread for Abby, they might've stayed out all day. It felt so nice to have time alone with Becker, especially after all the tension that had arisen between them. Thank goodness their misunderstanding had been resolved...and they'd been allowed a little "tension release" in the car! Of course, Jess was still curious as to why Becker had stopped so abruptly, but she was trying to be good and not ask, just like she'd promised.

And whilst he wouldn't talk about that particular topic, he now seemed eager to tell her all about the incident the other night. She wasn't sure what had inspired such a change of heart, but she wasn't going to question it. Besides, Jess found it fascinating to watch - she'd never noticed before just how rubbish Becker was at talking about his feelings. He could spout off facts about the incident like nobody's business, but as soon as emotions came into it, he'd suddenly stammer and struggle for words. It was so uncomfortable, in fact, that Jess had tried to convince him that he could just simply stick to the facts, if that were easier for him - she already knew plenty to keep her overactive imagination at bay - but he insisted that he needed to share. So she'd held his hand and let him fumble about awkwardly as she nursed her coffee. Frankly, the whole thing sounded terrifying to Jess, and she couldn't imagine why anyone would ever consider night diving a source of fun, but from Becker's comments, he wasn't likely to be pursuing that particular sport anytime soon, which was a great relief to her.

Jess could've stayed in the coffeehouse all day, but after getting everything off his chest from the other night, Becker needed some fresh air and exercise. They decided to just leave the car and stroll the streets arm in arm. Jess couldn't help but smile at all the Olympic-themed decorations in the windows - it was like the entire city was getting into the spirit of the Games. But as they passed a bakery, with five bagels hung in the window like Olympic rings, Jess suddenly remembered that Abby had asked them to pick up bread and ran inside to buy a loaf before she forgot. When she came back out, Becker gave her a tender, unexpected kiss.

"What was that for?"

Becker shrugged as they started off down the street again. "Just the fact that you're always thinking of others."

Jess smirked. "Trust me, I wasn't thinking of others in the car this morning."

He raised an eyebrow. "Not even me?"

Jess looked at him coyly. "Maybe just a little."

He leant down to give her another kiss, but this one she'd been expecting and passionately kissed the handsome soldier back. Before she knew it, they were pressed against the window of an estate agent's, hungrily going at it. Who knows how long they might've carried on had a young punk in a passing car not called out the window, "Get a room."

As they pulled apart, Becker grumbled, "Wish we HAD a room," but Jess was too busy looking at the loaf of bread squashed between them to reply. When she finally looked up, he answered before she could even ask, "Yes, we can stop and buy another loaf."

Jess smiled. "Afterwards we could go put it in your car. It's...almost as good as a room," she suggested.

Becker grinned at her as they headed back up the street. "I like how you think."

"And here I thought it was only my short skirts you were attracted to," she teased.

"Those, too," he said, giving her another kiss as they entered the bakery. The lady behind the counter eyed them suspiciously as they purchased the new loaf, no doubt because they were finding it hard to keep their hands to themselves, so they left as soon as they'd paid and practically sprinted back to the car.

Unfortunately, they were parked on a rather busy street, and neither of them felt particularly comfortable being so exposed to those walking by. Besides, Jess kept expecting him to abruptly call the whole thing to a halt at any minute, just as he'd done this morning, so she held back a bit, not wanting to be disappointed. Finally, when it was clear that neither of them were able to truly abandon themselves, she sat back and said, "I suppose we should get the bread back to Abby, yeah?"

Becker rolled his eyes in frustration before giving Jess another kiss. "How long until the Games are over?" he grumbled before putting the key in the ignition and heading back to her flat.

Once back, they decided to leave the squashed loaf in the back seat, not wanting to give an explanation for its sorry state. Jess figured if they placed it on the counter in the canteen at work, it'd be gone by the end of shift anyway - their coworkers were like a plague of locusts when it came to free food, so it was a perfect way to get rid of the evidence.

As Becker headed straight up to the toilet, Jess went to the kitchen, where she handed the bread over to a rather surprised Abby.

"Did you want sliced instead?" Jess asked, suddenly rethinking her purchase. "You probably wanted it for sandwiches, yeah? I'm sorry, I didn't even think."

"Oh no, Jess, it's fine," Abby said, taking the loaf from her flatmate. "I'm just...surprised you remembered. After all, you were a bit, shall we say, preoccupied at the time?"

Jess blushed a brilliant pink. "Connor told you."

Abby grinned mischievously. "That. And, well, turns out we have an excellent view of the street from the front windows."

"Omigod," Jess said, putting her face in her hands, trying to escape the mortification. However, after a quick minute, she put two and two together. "Omigod! So THAT'S why Becker-" Her brain went through a progression of thoughts at lightning speed, and she frantically grabbed hold of Abby's hand. "Please don't let Becker know I know."

Abby shrugged. "Okay...but why?"

"Because when I asked him, he said he didn't want to talk about it, so it was kind of like my first test, see, and I was so good and I didn't pester him about it, even though I was DYING to know, so I was totally passing. But now, if he finds out I found out, then it's like I failed, and I didn't even mean to."

Abby stared at her flatmate, clearly amused. "I'm guessing that was supposed to make sense, but I've no idea what you just said." Jess took a breath, preparing to explain again, but Abby stopped her before she could speak. "Don't worry about it - I don't need to know. I'm just glad you two made up."

Jess couldn't help but grin. "Me, too."

"Hey, Abby," Connor hollered as he entered the door down below and started up the stairs, "I weren't sure how much you wanted, so I bought two...loaves..." He trailed off, lowering the sliced bread in his hands as he caught sight of his fiance holding the bakery loaf. "Hey, you remembered!" he exclaimed to Jess, obviously as surprised and impressed as Abby.

Jess could feel her face growing warm again. She turned to Abby accusingly, but the blonde simply shrugged her off. "We needed bread, and like I said, you were a bit preoccupied at the time - I couldn't rely on you to remember."

"Well, now we got plenty," Connor said. "Hey, maybe we should have toast sandwiches for dinner."

"Toast sandwiches?" Jess and Abby asked in unison.

"Yeah, 'member? I was telling you both 'bout that thing I saw on the news. Dry toast between two pieces of bread - supposed to be one of the cheapest meals in Britain, only 8p or something. We should give it a go."

Abby shook her head, taking the bread from Connor. "I think we can afford something a bit more expensive than toast." She turned to Jess to ask, "Would you like something? NOT toast sandwiches, obviously; toasted cheese maybe?"

Jess shook her head. "I'm not really hungry - we already ate."

"I'll bet," Connor mumbled under his breath, eliciting an elbowing from his fiance and a blush from Jess.

Becker suddenly appeared around the corner but stopped short when he saw the three flatmates...and the three loaves.

Before he could ask, Abby quickly explained, "Didn't know when you might be back, so I sent Connor out."

Jess shot her friend a grateful look as Becker accepted the explanation without question and headed for the telly.

...

Becker kept finding excuses to go to the hub. As he headed there for the umpteenth time that shift, it suddenly struck him that, once again, their relationship was affecting how he did his job. Of course, tonight's actions were the polar opposite of last night's, but that didn't necessarily make them better. He frowned, annoyed with himself but determined not to take it out on Jess this time, and further determined that this would be his last trip till the evening meal - the flatmates had all arranged to eat together in Ops at 19:45, just in time to watch Team GB kick off against the United Arab Emirates.

And unlike last night, every time Becker had approached the hub tonight, he'd found Jess's fingers flying across her keyboards, far from sleepy. This time was no exception, and as he put his hand on the back of her chair, offering a friendly, "Hey," she nearly jumped through the roof, frantically minimising several windows on her monitors.

Becker thought her reaction a bit suspicious and eyed her warily. "Should I ask?"

Jess smiled, somewhat abashed. "I'm just...thinking ahead." He raised an eyebrow and she went on. "I know how out-of-sorts everyone has been working the swing shifts, and it's only bound to get worse starting tomorrow." Jess must've recognised his look of confusion for she quickly clarified, "Tomorrow we're working a double-shift - swings and then night - and then we're on nights for several in a row. Remember?"

Becker hadn't remembered. To be honest, he'd barely glanced at the work schedule when she'd first sent it round; he'd been so angry at having to work, full stop, that he hadn't wasted much time committing it to memory. Besides, he'd been certain that Jess would let him know when he needed to be here. The prospect of working nights wasn't something he was particularly looking forward to - he'd done that enough in the Army - so he was curious as to what Jess was planning. Nodding towards the monitors, he asked, "So...what's the scheme?"

Jess smiled and started to bring up some of the windows again. "I figured that having the Games to watch has helped during swings, so naturally they'd be ever so helpful during our night shifts as well."

Becker nodded. "Naturally." He then frowned, commenting, "But there ARE no events after midnight, are there?"

Jess beamed. "None live, obviously. But we can't watch ALL the events during the day, so there will be things we missed." Her fingers flew across the keyboards, bringing up what appeared to be some US television sites. "So I've figured out how to hack into the American tape-delayed feeds, which means we'll be able to watch events all through the night."

To demonstrate, she clicked on a site which was only now showing this morning's hockey match between Australia and New Zealand.

Becker smiled. "You're brilliant."

"I am," Jess stated proudly, muting the match and turning back to him. "I've even located feeds from both New York and California, which are three hours apart, so we should be able to watch events all night long if we so choose."

"Brilliant doesn't even begin to cover it," Becker said, leaning in to give her a quick kiss.

But his lips had barely brushed hers when a loud noise suddenly sounded from the monitor, causing them both to jump. It sounded almost like a song being played at the wrong speed, slow and warped but oddly familiar, though Becker couldn't quite place it. Jess immediately turned back towards her computer and started bringing up window after window, trying to determine the source. As she clicked on one button, suddenly a second song sounded over the first, though this one seemed to be playing at Chipmunk speed instead.

"What the...?" Jess mumbled, thoroughly confused.

Suddenly the fast song seemed to slow, creating a sound like a loud moan as a male voice came down in pitch from "oo-oooo OO-OOOO OHHHHH!" Becker watched as Jess's face flushed a brilliant red, and he realised it was liable to get even redder once she, too, recognised the song, so he quickly reached across her, guiding the mouse himself, trying to find the website that he was certain was open somewhere on her desktop.

But he was too late, as the initial song was suddenly sped up, revealing Marvin Gaye singing in stereo, "Let's get it on...aaaaah babe...let's get it on." He heard Matt snicker as he walked past, but Becker ignored him as he finally found the London 2012 site down in the tool bar. He clicked on it to reveal not only the day's schedule of Olympic events, which Jess had obviously been referring to during her hacking activities, but also a pop-up advert revealing two spinning LPs with the slogan "Speeds her up, Slows him down" displayed across them. And before he could close the window, the video footage switched to a box of _Durex_ "Performax Intense" condoms spinning towards the camera on a turntable.

Jess looked shocked. "Why did a condom advert just randomly play on my computer?" Her voice was probably louder than she'd intended, due to her surprise, and Becker could've sworn he heard someone in the direction Matt had just been headed mumble, "Maybe it's trying to tell you something."

Becker, however, gave her the real answer. "You had the Olympic schedule open."

"So?!" Obviously this didn't clarify anything for her.

Becker sighed. "It was a pop-up - Durex are the official condoms of the Games."

Jess still looked confused. "Why would the Games need an official condom?"

"Why would the Games need an official 'soft drink'?" Emily asked as she walked by. "From what I understand, Coca-Cola is not exactly a healthy drink for athletes."

"Hey, I like Coke," Jess said in its defence, though Emily was already out of earshot.

Becker shrugged, mumbling, "I'm more of a Pepsi man myself."

Jess turned to him, looking shocked. "Pepsi?! Really?! Then that's it," she announced mock-seriously. "Our relationship is through."

Becker smiled. "Glad to know Pepsi's a deal-breaker," he said, making to leave.

"I was kidding," Jess said frantically, as if she wasn't quite sure he was.

He quickly turned back, explaining, "I know. But if we're taking our lunch break at 19:45, I've got to get some real work done before then. See you in-" he glanced at his watch and was surprised at how late it already was, "oh God - half an hour."

"Okay. See you then," Jess said cheerily before turning back to her monitors.

Becker walked off, thankful that the

condom advert hadn't made things TOO awkward between them.

And thankful also that he'd been reminded that he should probably buy some, just in case, as he hadn't packed any.

...

to be continued

_[Author's Note: this actually happened to me! I was working on my story, and naturally I had the London 2012 site open in the background so I could refer to the schedule, and suddenly this weird noise sounded! After I realised what it was, I laughed so hard...and instantly decided that the experience had to go into my story! If you're interested, you can google the advert and watch it yourself - I had to do so several times in order to try to describe it accurately - hope I did it justice!_

_And the bagel thing - I know, the bakery got in trouble and had to take down the Olympic-shaped bagels, but I thought it was too cool a detail not to include!]_


	19. Ch 19 MONDAY MOODS

Let the Games Begin

...

[Author's Note: Thanks, everyone, for all the reviews to the last chapter! I'm so glad people are still reading and enjoying this.]

...

Chapter 19 - MONDAY MOODS

...

As Jess lay in bed that night, she realised how much everything had changed in just 24 hours. Last night she'd had a good cry in Emily's arms before coming to the conclusion, thanks to her friend's pointed tale, that she had been in the wrong when it came to Becker. Now, not only had she and the handsome soldier resolved their misunderstanding, but he'd just given her a long, passionate goodnight kiss in the car before coming inside to bed. Jess felt as if they'd reached the first hurdle in their relationship, and after a few missteps on both their parts, they'd managed to sail over it. Jess heaved a sigh into the darkness, hoping their next hurdle wouldn't involve quite so many tears.

Emily, however, must've heard her sigh for she rolled over and whispered quietly through the dark, "I hope you and Captain Becker have resolved your differences."

"Oh, we have," Jess said, the taste of him still on her lips. "We definitely have. And it's all thanks to you."

Emily, however, shook her head, making her long, curly hair bunch up on the pillow. "You are a smart girl - you would have realised your misstep eventually."

"Well, 'eventually' might've been too late," Jess said, reaching out and taking Emily's hand. "So thank you - it means a lot."

Emily smiled. "You are welcome. You are a dear friend - I am pleased I could help."

"And you know," Jess began, "if I can ever help you, if you ever need to talk or cry on my shoulder or anything, please let me know. I'm here for you if you need me."

"Thank you...but I am well." Emily squeezed Jess's hand tenderly before letting it go and rolling over.

Jess once again closed her eyes, thinking of Becker's goodnight kiss and wondering if he might give her a comparable one in the morning. She slowly began to drift off, her head filled with happy thoughts, when suddenly Emily spoke.

"Actually, have you noticed-?" she began but then suddenly cut herself off, as if having second thoughts about voicing her worries. "Never mind. Do not concern yourself. It is nothing."

"Have I noticed what?" Jess prompted, eager to be there for her friend.

Emily rolled back over, giving Jess a smile. "It does not matter. I am certain it is only my imagination."

Jess laughed. "Believe me, I know ALL about imagination. So you can tell me anything. Really! I'm happy to listen."

"Thank you, but...no. Good night."

Jess wanted to ask more, wanted to find out what Emily was worrying about, but she'd learnt her lesson with Becker and wasn't about to pressure her friend. So she tried to put it out of her mind, imagining instead Becker lying nearby, his arms wrapped about her, and fell asleep almost instantly.

In fact, she'd put the conversation so completely out of her mind that she might've not even remembered it at all, were it not for what happened the next night. The flatmates had spent a quiet Monday together, trying to take it easy and rest up before their double shift that evening. Jess and Becker had walked to the cafe together for a friendly, snog-filled breakfast, and that afternoon she'd insisted they leave early for work as she wanted to buy some treats for everyone to help get them through the night shift. However, a slight delay at the baker's meant they'd hit more traffic than expected, making them almost fifteen minutes late arriving for their shift.

When the lift from the car park opened, Lester was standing there, tapping his foot and looking peeved. Jess held up the bag of cupcakes, quickly explaining, "Sorry, but I thought everyone could use a-"

But Lester cut her off impatiently. "Yes, yes, Parker, whatever - I don't need to hear about your irrational need for chocolate. What I DO need is for you is to change the schedule."

"The schedule?" Jess asked blankly as she watched Becker quietly sneaking off down the corridor, probably convinced that he wouldn't be needed for this conversation and not wanting to stick around for any reprimand that might be forthcoming - coward!

"The WORK schedule," Lester clarified, clearly agitated. "I need you to redo the entire thing. As soon as humanly possible," he added before turning and heading for his office.

Jess's heels clicked on the grating at she quickly chased after her guv'nor. "But Lester, I put a lot of thought into that schedule. It's absolutely fair - I made certain that everyone worked exactly the same amount and no one was stuck with more unpleasant shifts than anyone else. So what could possibly be wrong with it? Why do you need me to-?"

Lester turned to explain, "I simply need you and the rest of the senior staff working days during the week while I'm here. Of course, you can work whatever shifts you want on the weekend, as far as I'm concerned," he added as an after-thought.

But it was his initial comment that was so upsetting. "You need us to work days?" Jess repeated blankly as the current schedule flashed through her mind - they weren't scheduled to work another day shift until the following weekend. "But whatever for?"

"Because...it turns out...," although flustered, Lester lowered his voice to finish, "...I can't bloody stand the rest of this lot. Being stuck here all day with the back-up crew was nothing short of torture! They're completely inefficient and...USELESS, and I've no idea why I even hired them in the first place. I even started to imagine how much I'd enjoy a friendly chat with Connor today, THAT'S how desperate I was."

Jess couldn't believe what she was hearing. "So...you want me to change the schedule...because you missed us?"

Lester shook his head vehemently. "I most definitely did not MISS you! And I definitely won't miss having the flat to myself tonight, though I might ring you if Abby and Connor neglected to change the sheets. What I AM saying, however, is that I can't abide the rest of the ARC staff MORE than I can't abide you all. So you need to fix the schedule immediately."

"Well, it will take a few days to-"

"Yes, yes, I understand that. Just do it as quickly as possible, Parker, before I go completely barmy."

Jess wondered if it might not already be too late!

"But what will I tell everyone?" she asked, worried about how the rest of the staff might react. "The others will notice that we're not working as many bad shifts as-"

"Just tell them it was an order from me, which it was. I'll deal with any repercussions that might-"

Lester was interrupted by Matt suddenly leaping up the stairs from Ops to where they stood. "There was an anomaly today," the team leader stated without preamble.

Their boss nodded. "Yes, but it was a trifling incident - an empty warehouse, the team arrived in less than 10 minutes, no sign of any creatures, and it closed within the hour. The report's already on my desk."

"Why wasn't I informed?" Matt demanded, and Jess was surprised at the harshness of his tone.

Lester, however, didn't even seem to notice. He casually shrugged, saying, "It seems to me you've been informed now."

"I'm team leader - I'm to be informed AT the time, not after the fact. Do we even know what time period it led to?"

Lester shrugged again. "Pliocene, Miocene, some god-forsaken prehistoric 'iocene' or another, I didn't much bother to listen."

Jess could've sworn she saw Matt's shoulders visibly relax as soon as Lester named the epochs, and his tone was much calmer as he said, "Well...in future, I need to be kept apprised of all anomalies AS they happen, yeah?"

As Matt turned and stormed off, Jess noticed Emily watching him go, a frown of concern on her face. Jess met her friend's eyes, giving her an inquiring look as their bedtime conversation suddenly came flooding back. Emily nodded curtly and then hurried off in the direction Matt had just left, obviously intending to have a talk with him.

"Well, don't just stand there, Parker," Lester ordered. "You have a schedule to rework. Chop chop!"

Jess nodded - this wasn't exactly an auspicious start to her double shift!

...

Despite the strange hours, there was no question that this was a Monday! Everyone seemed to be in a rotten mood, which certainly wasn't helping Becker's attitude towards their long shift.

Of course, the fact that a team had evidently been to an anomaly today and hadn't bothered to put their equipment away wasn't exactly helping his attitude either. He was shocked and appalled to find EMDs strewn haphazardly about the armoury, and it took him nearly two hours to fully inventory everything and put it all away.

He then sought out Matt to fill him in, but the team leader was pounding away on a work station, obviously in a foul mood as well. Becker glanced at the screen and was surprised at what Matt was searching through. "Anomaly readings?" he asked.

"There was an anomaly today," Matt snapped, not even turning his eyes from the screen.

"Yeah, I was just gonna-" Becker began, but Matt turned around, practically barking, "Why didn't you inform me?"

Becker blinked. He wasn't used to seeing Matt expressing ANY emotions, certainly not anger and...was that desperation? Trying not to snap back, Becker replied, "I just found out myself when I got here - the team apparently didn't bother...to..."

But Matt had already turned back to the screen, as if he didn't even care about Becker's concerns. The soldier gave a frustrated sigh, deciding that he'd best leave his complaints for when Matt was more even-tempered.

Heading down the corridor, Becker ran into Emily.

"Captain Becker," she began, "do you know of any anomalies that Matt has not been informed of?"

Becker raised his eyebrows, curious. "Other than today's? No, none that I know of. Is that what's got his knickers in such a twist?"

Emily frowned, obviously unfamiliar with the expression. "He is troubled, if that is what you mean."

Becker nodded. "What's his deal anyway? Why's he so upset? I saw the report - sounds like nothing happened." Matt had never struck him as the type of leader who simply got off on being the one "in charge", so his reaction to this piddling incident made no sense.

And apparently it made no sense to Emily either. "I do not know what is wrong. He seems..." She shook her head, her brow creased with worry, before turning and walking off.

Becker next headed for Ops, hoping that seeing Jess would lift his spirits. Only Jess was frantic.

"Lester wants me to change the entire schedule so we're working days during the week," Jess explained, not even turning to look at Becker as her fingers flew across her keyboard.

The soldier shrugged. "But that's a good thing, yeah? I mean, none of us like these other shifts."

"But it's not fair, us getting the good shifts all the time. So I'm trying to even it out, to give us additional shifts on the weekends, when Lester's not around, only I can't get it to be completely fair, and everyone will blame me when they don't like their schedule."

"But it's Lester's orders," he reminded her, attempting to put a comforting hand on her shoulder. However, she was wound so tightly that she jumped at his touch - not exactly the reaction he'd been hoping for. He quickly removed his hand, realising the only thing that would calm her was getting the schedule finished, so he wandered off, leaving her to her task.

When the team gathered for their evening meal break at 20:00, ready to watch Team GB tip-off against Canada in Women's basketball, no one's moods had seemed to improve. Matt still seemed tense, and as a result Emily was also in a frightful mood. Jess had finished the new schedule but had yet to call it in, and she was clearly dreading having to tell people that they'd been switched to the night shift because she seemed nervous and distracted. Even Abby was moody, for apparently no one had bothered to exercise the creatures in days so she'd spent her evening walking an irritable mammoth about.

And then, for some unknown reason, Temple decided to bring up a scientific study he'd read recently suggesting that, while cheerful people are more creative, being grumpy actually makes one better at decision-making. Of course, perhaps Temple had merely been attempting to single-handedly prove this theory all by himself, first by making the ridiculous decision to share this info with a group of bad-tempered individuals and then, when Abby snapped at him, asking if he was calling HER "grumpy", by coming up with several creative reasons as to why he'd mentioned it. Ordinarily Jess would've come to Connor's rescue by smoothly changing the subject, but she was so wrapped up in her own issues that she simply let him flounder, which at least provided Becker some mealtime amusement.

Sadly, even the Games weren't elevating their moods as Team GB couldn't make a basket to save their lives. When they were down 15 - 19 after the first quarter, everyone stopped watching and went back to work.

Becker was glad to get away from everyone, but he couldn't stop thinking about what had possibly upset Matt. The team leader was usually so even-tempered, and ever since they'd stopped Phillip and saved the future, it seemed Matt had little to worry about other than the daily grind of the ARC, which he was clearly capable of handling. Yet it was obvious that his reaction to not being told about today's incident was much more intense than the situation itself warranted, so something else on a grander scale must be going on. But what? Becker couldn't even come up with any possibilities, no doubt because, as Temple's study had proven, he wasn't cheerful enough to be creative at present!

And he became even less cheerful around midnight when he received a frantic call from Jess, who'd misplaced her bag of cupcakes for the team. Becker came running to her rescue and helped her search the ARC, but unfortunately the hunt only led to further disappointment, as the empty bag revealed that the cupcakes had already been eaten, clearly being mistaken for free food like last night's bread. Jess was so distraught that Becker quickly dragged her to his locker and produced several bars of expensive chocolate that he'd been keeping on-hand, just in case of emergency.

"But everyone likes cupcakes," Jess pointed out as she reluctantly took the bars. "What if they don't like these as well?"

Becker shrugged. "Then more for you. Besides, you're not responsible for everyone else's happiness, Jess."

She nodded absently, though it was clear she didn't quite believe his statement. And strangely, at present, he somehow felt responsible for her happiness. Yet he remembered how she'd reacted to him last week when he'd kissed her when she was upset, so instead he merely brushed a stray hair from her face and tenderly asked, "You checked the Games site, yeah? Did we win any medals today?"

Jess nodded, smiling for the first time since their shift began. "We took the bronze in Men's Gymnastics."

"Gymnastics?! Seriously?!" Team GB was not exactly known for their gymnasts.

"Yeah, first medal in a century, if you can believe it!"

Although the news was good, he was more pleased to see Jess so cheerful again.

"So why don't you go find a US site you can hack into so we can all watch it together, yeah?" Becker suggested. "That'll be way better than cupcakes anyway." Jess started to frown again at the reminder, and Becker quickly amended, "And we can have chocolate," gesturing to the bars he'd given her.

"Oh, and I've some popcorn from the other night as well," she remembered with a smile. "Everyone likes popcorn."

Becker nodded. "Brilliant. I'll go let the others know."

Jess nodded and gave him a quick peck on the lips before hurrying back towards Ops. Becker only hoped that the Games could cheer everyone else up as easily...though he certainly wasn't expecting a grateful kiss from any of them!

...

to be continued


	20. Ch 20 HATWALK HOLIDAY

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 20 - HATWALK HOLIDAY

...

"Woohoo!" Connor gave a celebratory cheer as he flopped down on the sofa the moment they arrived home the next morning. "We don't have to be back at work for 24 hours. It's like we're on holiday!"

Becker rolled his eyes, and Jess could tell that the soldier didn't consider having a mere 24 hours off much of a holiday, especially after having worked two double shifts in the last few days. And the traffic driving home just now through the morning rush hour had put him in a foul mood, which was obvious when he pointed out grumpily, "Technically, less than 23 hours."

"Whatever," Connor said with a shrug, his happiness not to be deterred. "It still feels good. So what we gonna do with our day off anyway?"

"Sleep," Abby said with a yawn as she disappeared up the stairs, and Jess couldn't help yawning as well.

"Ah, don't be like that," Connor whined, trying to fight off a yawn of his own. "We're free - we've oughtta DO something today. Otherwise there's no point to us being off."

Jess was still feeling guilty that they even had so much time off, as they'd originally been scheduled to be back at work that night, but Connor's enthusiasm was infectious. "Well, there's always Hatwalk," she suggested.

Connor gasped, leaping off the sofa excitedly. "Is that still on? Blimey, these weird shifts have me all confused as to what day it is."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Jess agreed. "But yes, it's only Tuesday."

"All day," Matt added drily as he grabbed his pillow and blanket, obviously planning to follow Abby's lead.

But not Connor. "Then that's it - we've GOTTA go do Hatwalk!"

"What is 'Hatwalk'?" Emily asked.

"It's part of the London 2012 Festival," Jess explained.

"Yeah, they got milliners from all over Britain to make hats for the statues," Connor said. "It'll be brilliant. They even put one atop Nelson in Trafalgar Square. We've gotta go check 'em out."

Emily looked surprised. "Lord Nelson's Column is still standing?"

Jess nodded. "Of course! Haven't you seen it? It's a huge tourist attraction - they're always filming shots of him and the lions."

"Lions?" Emily asked blankly, making Jess suddenly wonder if the famous bronze statues at the base of the column were a later addition.

"So what do you say, Emily?" Connor asked. "You in?"

Emily nodded. "I would very much like to join you for this...Hatwalk. It sounds quite enjoyable. In fact, hats are one of the things I miss the most about home - it is sad that no one wears them anymore."

Connor cleared his throat loudly. "Excuse me?" he said, gesturing to the trilby currently sat atop his mussy hair.

"I meant...they are not worn by the general populace," Emily corrected with a smile, clearly appeasing Connor. "Just let me go upstairs and change, and then I am ready."

Connor nodded and eagerly turned to Jess. "So how 'bout it?"

Jess was in the middle of a yawn but frantically nodded until she could speak. "We should all go - make a day of it. I know where there's a map on-line of all the statues. We can even take sandwiches and picnic on the Embankment somewhere."

"Brilliant!" Connor said. "I'll run up and tell Abby."

As he ran up the stairs, Jess turned to Becker. "So this will be fun, yeah?"

But Becker did not look excited at the prospect. "Hats? On statues?"

"C'mon! We'll have fun! I promise!" She gave him a quick peck, which somehow turned into a longer kiss.

When their lips finally parted, Becker rested his forehead to hers, saying, "I can think of other ways to have fun...especially if we're to have the flat to ourselves."

Jess smiled at the idea, but she was looking forward to spending a relaxing day with her friends to get her mind off the schedule changes. Besides, she didn't want to disappoint Connor, so instead she offered the handsome soldier a compromise. "What say we go do Hatwalk with everyone this morning, and then, this afternoon, you and I can kip together in my room, just the two of us - I'm sure the girls won't mind."

"Kip?" Becker asked, raising a suggestive eyebrow as if she might be using the word euphemistically. But as he leant in to give her another kiss, she accidentally yawned in his face. "Oh." He pulled back, sounding disappointed. "Kip."

As soon as she finished her yawn, she stood on her toes and whispered in his ear, "We can definitely snog a little, too."

Becker smiled and kissed her again, but they were interrupted by something thwacking into Becker's arm. Jess looked down at where the object had landed and realised Connor had just tossed Becker a trilby.

"That's for you," Connor explained as Becker picked it up with disdain. "You gotta wear a hat if we're doing Hatwalk."

Becker gave a frustrated sigh and turned to Jess, who smiled reassuringly. "It's okay," she said, "you don't have to wear it if you don't want to."

The soldier smiled at this and tossed the hat on to Matt, who was making a nest for himself on the floor in the corner.

Matt, however, was not amused. "I don't need it."

Becker shook his head. "If I'm going, you're going."

"Yeah, Matt," Abby said, having just come downstairs, unhappily donning a baseball cap herself. "It's a group outting - we're all in this together."

Jess tried to think of a way to persuade Matt to join them, since he'd clearly had other things on his mind since last night. "You know, Matt," Jess began, "Ravi promised to call us the instant there's an anomaly, whether we're needed or not. Lester and I both made a point of reminding him before I left this morning. And if we do get a call, we can always head straight for the ARC from the city centre if we need to - it won't add that much travel time."

Jess still wasn't sure why Matt was suddenly so uptight about the anomalies, but her comments seemed to catch his attention.

As did Becker's. "Besides, Matt, if you sleep all day, you won't sleep tonight. You know how it works. We've got to stay up to help get us back on a regular sleep schedule."

Jess smiled gratefully up at Becker - she knew he didn't really want to go either, so the fact that he was trying to help persuade Matt to join them meant a lot.

And persuade him he did, for Matt heaved a heavy sigh and reluctantly stood up. "All right," he said, kicking his bedclothes aside, "but I'm not wearing a hat."

...

"I cannot believe that someone stole Shakespeare's hat." Emily sounded personally affronted by what was probably just a drunken dare.

"Yeah, who'd wanna nick such a thing from the Bard?" Connor agreed. "That is so not cool!"

Jess nodded in agreement, which Becker couldn't help but notice since she was practically glued to his side. He wasn't sure if her closeness was due to her merely wanting to be near him...or simply because she was trying to keep herself upright, still sleepy from having worked all night. Not that he cared about the reason - he simply liked having her at his side.

"At least no one's likely to steal Nelson's bicorn," Jess pointed out. "Apparently there are only two cranes in the entire country that go up that high."

"Pity there was even one," Matt grumbled quietly under his breath, though Becker heard. While there were definitely ways he would've preferred to spend his day off, Becker was at least enjoying being in the fresh air...and stealing periodic kisses from Jess when the others weren't looking. But Matt's mood from last night clearly hadn't improved any, and nothing they'd seen today had seemed to cheer him up.

Of course, Becker hadn't been forced to wear a hat all day!

Jess, however, either hadn't heard Matt's comment or was politely ignoring it for she went on, "You know, a lot of consideration went into these hats. They had to be bigger than real life in order to fit the statues, obviously, plus they had to undergo strict safety tests to ensure they wouldn't get blown off in the wind and crush some unsuspecting Olympic tourist."

"Yeah, that would be BAD!" Connor concurred.

"What kind of safety tests?" Emily asked, intrigued, and Becker had to admit he was curious himself.

"It seems they made replicas of the statues - or at least of their heads - and then tested the hats upon them in the MIRA wind tunnel."

"Seriously? MIRA? They have, like, the only full scale aerodynamic wind tunnel in the country," Connor said enviously. "I would KILL to see that!"

"No need to kill," Jess teased. "You just need to become a milliner."

Abby smiled. "I can see that. What do you say, Connor - a second career?"

Connor nodded. "I think I'd make a pretty good hatter."

"He's definitely got the 'mad' part down," Matt said, speaking aloud Becker's very thoughts.

"And listen to this," Jess said after glancing at her map. "Apparently Nelson's hat was made by Lock & Co...both now AND back in his day."

Emily started with surprise, causing Connor to ask, "You heard of 'em?"

She nodded. "I am...familiar with the firm," was all she said, though clearly there was more to it than she was sharing. Emily was rarely forthcoming about her past, which, frankly, made her a perfect match for Matt. On the surface they seemed like total opposites - she had stumbled upon the anomalies 150 years ago completely by accident whilst Matt had trained his entire adult life specifically to travel back here - yet they both had seemed to adapt well to this time. Becker was proud to fight alongside both of them...even if they both drove him crazy at times.

Of course, that could easily be said of all his coworkers.

"So what's next, Jess?" Connor asked eagerly.

"Sir Arthur Sullivan," Jess said, referring to her map again.

Abby let out a disappointed sigh, and Connor turned to his fiance, asking. "What? You don't like G&S? '_And now I am the ruler of the Queen's Navy_'," he sang cheerily, causing Becker to roll his eyes in annoyance.

"No," Abby explained, "I just was hoping that we might have our picnic soon - I'm starting to grow more than a little peckish."

"Oh, absolutely," Jess said. "I'm sure we can find someplace in the gardens to sit and eat."

Becker was glad to hear it, as he'd somehow been talked into carrying the rucksack full of picnic supplies. Not that he was complaining - it was certainly better than wearing a hat - but it was starting to feel rather heavy.

"Is that it?" Emily asked, pointing up ahead to a bronze bust atop a moderately high pillar. Beneath it leant a bronze statue of a weeping lady, and bright red hats adorned both their heads.

"No, it's some totally unrelated statue wearing a hat," Matt snarked.

Emily glared at him as the team walked towards the memorial, staring up at the remarkable creations. The lady's hat had beaded tassels extending down to her knees and a thin red feather reaching up nearly a metre. The man's, on the other hand, appeared almost Oriental in theme.

"Sullivan's hat," Jess read from her map, "was apparently inspired by _The Mikado_."

So that explained it.

Although not to everyone. "What is a mikado?" Emily asked.

"You know - _'Three little maids from school are we_'," Temple sang in a bad falsetto, stopping abruptly at Emily's blank look. "What? No?"

Abby gave Connor a reassuring pat on his shoulder. "That was after her time, remember?"

"Oh, so Sullivan was a musician," Emily deduced before another lightbulb seemed to come on. "You know, I do believe I attended a ballet of his at Covent Garden."

"You very well may have," Jess said, looking it up on her mobile. "It says here that _L'lle Enchantee_ was one of his first works."

Connor was clearly impressed. "That's super cool! You knew Sullivan before Gilbert!"

Abby glanced at the words embossed on the side of the plinth and read them aloud: "'Is life a boon? If so, it must befal That death, whene're he call Must call too soon - W.S. Gilbert."

"That's cheery," Matt grumbled sarcastically.

"That's _Yeoman of the Guard_," Connor corrected.

"So who's the lady?" Becker asked quickly, hoping to stop Temple before he sang again.

"She's supposed to represent the angel of music," Jess explained, "weeping at Sullivan's passing."

"I'd like an angel to weep at MY passing," Connor said, quickly turning to Abby to add, "besides you, I mean." Abby laughed and gave him a quick peck before he asked, "So...who's gonna pose with me for this one?"

Abby gave a sigh. "Connor, I told you before, you're the only one who likes posing as statues."

"But Abby, the statue's of two people. Someone's gotta pose with me - I can't do it by my lonesome. Please?" he pleaded.

Abby shook her head, holding up her mobile. "I can't, Connor. Who's gonna take the picture?"

Becker tried not to laugh, as clearly there were four other people who could easily take it. Jess, however, recognised the pathetic excuse as a cry for help for she quickly jumped in, "I'll pose with you, Connor."

"Ah, you're the best!" Connor said, grabbing her hand and leading her over towards the statue. "Now just come over here and lean against that there...yeah, that's it...and you need to bury your head more in your arm...right, but turn out a bit...no, back a tad...not quite...yeah, right there, hold it...though, hmmm...you know, if we're really gonna do this proper, you should take off your shirt."

"Connor!" "Temple!" Abby and Becker both cried out as Jess truly did bury her head in her arm, though Becker could still see her red cheeks peaking through.

"Hey! I was joking, obviously," Connor quickly defended himself. "I mean seriously, if we was trying to be completely accurate here, you'd have to cut me in two, yeah?"

"Not such a bad idea," Matt grumbled under his breath.

Becker wondered if perhaps Matt's blood sugar was getting low, as his remarks were becoming more frequent, so the soldier quickly suggested, "While you do your pictures, we'll set up the picnic over on the benches, yeah?"

"Oh, yes, that'd be lovely," Jess said encouragingly, and Becker led Matt and Emily away from the photographing trio to the bench near the hedges. He brushed off the few remaining raindrops from this morning's shower before setting the rucksack down and beginning to remove its contents.

Being away from the others, Emily decided to take the opportunity to dress down Matt. "There is no reason for you to behave in such a way," she scolded.

"You're the one who made me come," Matt said, sounding almost like a petulant child. "I didn't want to be here, remember?"

But this argument didn't hold water with Emily. "Often in life one is forced to do things which one would rather not do, but that does not give one the right to be rude. Consider Captain Becker, for example - he also wished to stay home today, but nonetheless he is being pleasant, helpful even."

Becker sighed - why was it that he was always being dragged into the middle of other people's rows?

Matt seemed to agree. "Don't drag him into this - we both know he'd pretty much follow Jess anywhere without complaint."

Becker knew that wasn't true, but he wanted to stay out of it so he merely put his head down and continued to unpack the food from the rucksack, trying to ignore the stony silence that followed. As he pulled out item after item, he began to see why the rucksack had felt so heavy - Jess had packed enough food for a T-Rex! He was just starting to pull out one final object, wrapped in cling film, when Jess came scurrying over and forced him to drop it back inside.

"That's not for everyone," she whispered, and he glanced inside the rucksack to see that it was, in fact, some kind of chocolate. As he turned to give her a look, she said, "What? If I'm the one packing the food, I get to pack what I like."

Becker nodded. "And then you get ME to carry it."

Jess smiled. "Thank you!" she said, giving him a quick peck. "And I'm happy to share my chocolate with you."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh yes, because it would be such a sacrifice to have to kiss someone who tasted of chocolate."

"I hadn't even thought of that!" she grinned. "You're right - you MUST start eating more chocolate. Every day!"

Becker laughed, handing her a sandwich instead.

"You know, this was a brill idea, Jess," Connor said, grabbing a sandwich himself and sitting down on the damp grass.

Emily turned to Jess, adding, "Indeed, the picnic was a fine suggestion."

"Thanks," Jess said, obviously pleased with herself. "And please, everyone, eat up - we've loads of food."

"Yeah," Becker added, "and the more you eat, the less I have to carry back."

"Well, in that case," Temple said, reaching over and grabbing another handful of crisps from the bag.

"So," Becker asked, turning to Jess, "how did the photoshoot go?"

However, it was Temple who answered. "It was brilliant! And after we eat, we're definitely going back to George IV. Thanks to Jess's suggestion, now we gotta redo that photo, only this time with me as the horse."

Becker waited, expecting Matt to make some comment, but the team leader simply bit into his sandwich.

...

to be continued

_[Author's Note: Hatwalk was a real thing - you can find photos of the hats, maps, and info about their testing in the wind tunnel at the Mayor of London Presents website!]_


	21. Ch 21 CALLING IT KIPS

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 21 - CALLING IT KIPS

..

"At long last," Becker said as he shut the door to the bedroom.

Jess smiled - she knew exactly how he felt. While she'd enjoyed their excursion to Hatwalk, it had extended much later into the afternoon than she'd anticipated, and she was dead on her feet by the time they'd made it back to the flat. Jess kicked off her shoes and eagerly crawled on top of her bed, which she'd neatly made up almost a day and a half ago now, saying, "I know - I'm so tired, I wasn't even sure I was going to make it up the stairs."

Becker, who'd just begun to lie down beside her, paused. "I...uh...meant the two of us being alone."

"Oh. That, too," Jess said, smiling warmly as Becker's head reached the pillow next to hers. Despite her exhaustion, she leant forward to give him a kiss and was almost instantly lost in his embrace. Sure, they'd snogged plenty on his couch before the Games, and they'd spent time alone together in his car these past few days, but this was the first time they'd actually shared a bed...or at least the first time when they weren't merely sleeping with Emily inches away. Even when they'd gone away together for his father's retirement bash, Becker had been a perfect gentleman and gotten her her own room, though he'd seemed more than willing to let her stay in his if she'd wanted. But it was still early days, and she hadn't wanted to give his parents the wrong impression, so she'd stayed away. She was now rethinking that decision, though, for it felt so lovely to be lying here in his arms.

Though something didn't feel quite right.

She attempted to pull away from the kiss, saying, "Would you...um...mind...?" Becker pulled back, raising his eyebrows, and she could feel her cheeks growing warm, embarrassed to say it aloud. "Would it be okay if we...switched sides?" After all, he'd been on her other side when she'd fallen asleep in his arms the other night, and ever since that's where she'd been imagining him in her daydreams.

Becker looked almost relieved at the simple request, although he didn't immediately comply. Instead he resumed the kiss, pulling her even closer, wrapping his arms tightly about her waist. She didn't even realise what he had planned until suddenly he was rolling over, pulling her up and over him as she gave an involuntary squeak of surprise. Once she was settled on the other side, Becker pulled back, clearly amused. "Better?" he asked.

It was, only now she was precariously close to the edge, and she didn't want to fall off as Becker had the other morning. "Actually, can you...?"

He must've sensed her concern for he held her close once again as he shimmied backwards towards the middle of the bed, pulling her with him. Now she was no longer in danger of rolling off, but her skirt had ridden up during the shimmying, and she shivered from the sudden draught. She extricated herself from his embrace, sitting up and grabbing her grandmother's quilt, which was neatly folded at the foot of the bed. As she lay back down, pulling the warm covering over her, Becker frowned.

"It's a summer afternoon," he pointed out. "Is that really necessary?"

Jess nodded apologetically. "You know how cold I get in my sleep."

He nodded. "Then mind if I...?" he asked, stripping off his t-shirt before joining her beneath the quilt. As his muscular arms wrapped around her again, he seemingly discovered the reason for her sudden chill as his hand came to rest on her bare thigh, sending shivers of another kind through her. He smiled, teasing, "A bit of a draught, yeah?"

She nodded as he resumed their kissing, his hand slowly exposing more of her thigh as it roamed. Although she had been looking forward to getting some sleep, his touch felt amazing, and she was pleased she'd suggested-

The sound of the bedroom door opening sent a rush of adrenaline coursing through her veins. She immediately attempted to scramble away from Becker, so it wouldn't look like they'd been up to anything, but in so doing accidentally kneed him. As he groaned and doubled over in pain, Jess was torn as to whether to tend to him or to whomever was at the door. She quickly offered a soft "Sorry!" before rolling over to see who'd entered.

Emily had already taken a few steps into the room but must've paused when Becker cried out. "I beg your pardon," she quickly offered. "I did not mean to interrupt. I merely wanted to retrieve my book."

"No problem," Jess said cheerily, trying to put her friend at ease. "And...you weren't interrupting anything. We were just...trying to get some rest."

Emily raised a suspicious eyebrow but said nothing. She grabbed her tome from the bedside table and scurried out, closing the door behind her.

As Jess rolled back over, Becker commented, "Have you considered registering your knees as deadly weapons?"

"I'm so sorry!" she said.

"S'okay," he said, adding under his breath, "I didn't need 'em anyway."

Jess gave a guilty moan and quickly kissed him, hoping to make them both feel better. Unfortunately, the rush of adrenaline she'd just received, instead of jolting her awake, had only served to remind her of just how knackered she truly was. And though she tried her best to suppress it, she eventually let out a huge yawn. Becker pulled back, clearly trying to hide his disappointment as he stated more than asked, "You need to sleep."

"I'm sorry," she said again, but Becker cut her off with a quick peck.

"Jess, stop apologising. You promised a snog and a kip - you made good on the snog, now it's my turn to make good on the kip."

Jess smiled and gave him another kiss. "I really don't deserve you, you know that?"

Becker nodded. "I'm well-aware," he teased drily, and she playfully swatted him before rolling over in his arms and snuggling back against his bare chest. He gently kissed her hair as he bent his knees to properly spoon her. "Comfy?" he asked.

"Mmm, lovely," Jess mumbled, taking hold of his hand and clutching it to her chest as she closed her eyes.

But a minute later he extricated his hand from her grasp, and she opened her eyes to see what he was up to.

"Sorry," he said, awkwardly holding up his wrist so he could adjust his watch. "Just setting an alarm. We shouldn't sleep too long so we can still sleep tonight." Once finished, he wrapped his arms back around her, one hand settling on her bare stomach, where her blouse had ridden up. Unfortunately, she flinched at his touch, an instinctive response that she immediately regretted.

Instantly removing his hand, Becker asked, "You okay?"

Jess could feel her cheeks growing red and hoped he wouldn't notice. Grabbing hold of his hand, she clutched it to her chest, mumbling, "I'm fine."

But Becker was smarter than that and attempted to free his hand. She increased her grip, hoping he'd get the subtle hint and not try it again, but eventually he extricated his hand and purposefully placed it on her stomach, which naturally made her flinch once again.

"How did I not know you were ticklish?" Becker whispered in her ear.

"I'm...not," she said, but clearly it was a lie for she was unconsciously squirming, trying to get away from his touch.

"Liar," he said, scooting backwards so he could roll her onto her back to gain full access to her sensitive region.

"Really...I'm...not," she insisted even as she laughed and tried to get away.

"Okay, I'll take your word for it," he teased, holding her in place as he mercilessly ran his hand over her belly. "Not ticklish in the slightest."

He sat up and, tossing back the quilt, leant over and blew a raspberry on her stomach. Not able to stop herself, Jess let out a piercing scream practically in his ear as her knees instinctively came up to try and block him.

The door was suddenly flung open and Connor frantically raced inside. "Jess, you o...kay...?" he trailed off as he quickly took in the situation.

Becker sat back instantly, giving Connor a mischievous look. "Did you know Jess is extremely ticklish on her belly?"

"Becker!" Jess objected, giving him a friendly swat as she self-consciously pulled her shirt back down.

Connor, however, smiled. "Good to know - cheers, mate," he grinned. "And yeah, sorry to interrupt." As he started to pull the door to, Jess heard someone else running up the stairs and Connor reassuring, "She's fine, just ticklish," before Abby commented, "We clearly should've made THEM pose as the Young Lovers statue today."

Jess could feel how red her face was and turned to look up at Becker, who was still sat above her, poised to strike again.

"Please don't," she pleaded, protectively shielding her belly with her hands.

Becker nodded, cupping his ear. "I've learnt my lesson - no more tickling without earplugs."

"Sorry," Jess said as Becker lay back down beside her.

He shrugged. "My own fault. I should've known you'd be a screamer."

Jess blushed as she grabbed his hand and rolled onto her side, pulling him near. He placed the quilt back over them and snuggled close once again before tenderly whispering in her ear, "Any other ticklish places I should be aware of?"

She grinned, whispering back seductively, "You'll just have to find them yourself."

"Mmm, I'm always up for a challenge," he said, though she was thankful that he seemed willing to wait till any another day for such an exploratory expedition.

Jess closed her eyes, feeling safe and warm within his caring arms, and almost instantly began to doze off.

She was nearly asleep when the door opened once again.

"Parker, I need you to fix my backdrop, or whatever it's called, on my computer tomorrow."

Jess's eyes fluttered open to see Lester standing in the doorway, totally nonplussed by the scene in front of him.

"You mean...your desktop wallpaper?" Jess asked, trying to translate Lester's non-computer speak as she struggled to wake up.

"Yeah, the big background picture thing. And also all those little pictures I click on to do things - those need to be fixed as well."

"The icons?"

"Yes, whatever they're called. I had a problem with my computer today, and when Ravi attempted to solve it, he messed everything up, and now I'm completely lost and can't find anything."

Jess nodded. "Okay. I'll do it first thing in the morning."

"Thanks, Parker," he said, closing the door as he mumbled under his breath, "It's the bloody Olympic Village round here."

Once the door was shut, Jess closed her eyes again, hoping Becker hadn't been awakened by the interruption. However, he clearly had for he scooted backwards, causing her to roll onto her back, and she opened her eyes to find him staring down at her.

"We should've known we could never pull this off with so many people in the flat," Becker said.

"Yes we can," Jess insisted, still wanting her kip. "That's almost everyone - we surely won't get interrupted again."

But Becker shook his head, heaving a resigned sigh. "No, Jess. It's not gonna happen. Let's just get up. Staying awake till bedtime is probably wiser anyway."

"But...I like it here with you," Jess said, reaching up and pulling him down for a kiss.

When they separated, Becker had a serious expression on his face. "We're only working a regular shift tomorrow, yeah?" At Jess's nod, he went on, "Then tomorrow night, you and I are going on a proper date - dinner at that French restaurant you like so well and then the cinema."

Jess was intrigued. "Ooh - what's playing?"

Becker shook his head. "Does it matter?"

Jess giggled, and Becker leant back down to kiss her.

"So is it a deal?" he asked a minute later when he came up for air.

Jess nodded. "Definitely."

Becker kissed her again and then tossed back the quilt and rolled out of bed. Reaching down to offer her a hand, he said, "C'mon, Sleeping Beauty - up and at 'em."

Jess groaned and yanked on his hand, pulling him down towards her. "But Prince Charming - I think I might need a few more kisses before I'm fully awake," she insisted coyly.

Becker smiled and crawled back on the bed, eagerly accepting her invitation.

...

Unfortunately, staying awake till bedtime proved more difficult than anticipated, though Becker did his best to assist Jess in this task.

Coming downstairs after their failed kip, they found Lester reluctantly holding court in the front room, telling the others about his personal adventures at the Games on Saturday. After listening to his stories, everyone was in the mood for horses, so Becker persuaded Jess to find a site where they could all watch today's Equestrian events. This turned out to be a double treat, for not only did Team GB win the silver in the team event, but Zara Phillips was one of the riders, meaning many of the Royals were in the crowd to cheer her on.

"That's so sweet that her cousins came to watch," Jess gushed as the camera panned across the VIP crowd, which included Prince William and Kate, Prince Harry, and even Princess Eugenie. "You know, this makes Zara the first Royal ever to win an Olympic medal!"

Connor nodded. "And probably the first Olympian to ever be awarded her medal by her mum," he pointed out as the Princess Royal kissed her daughter on both cheeks before moving on down the podium.

No one was up for cooking a meal, so they ordered in Chinese. Unfortunately, after eating, everyone seemed to sink into a food coma, and if it weren't for the Games, they all might've gone to bed early. After watching Team GB get slaughtered by Serbia in Men's Water Polo, they switched over just in time to watch the women kick off against Brazil. Although Team GB scored two minutes in, that turned out to be the only point in the entire match. Goal after goal were attempted by both teams, but the keepers were earning their keep, eliciting excited commentary from Emily on each block and dive.

Drowsy as he was, Becker kept himself awake by keeping Jess awake. Each time he'd notice her slipping into unconsciousness, he'd casually reach over and place his hand on her stomach. It wasn't quite as effective through her clothes, but it still managed to wake her every time as she involuntarily flinched at his touch. It got to the point where she'd awaken as soon as Becker started to move his arm.

"You're mean!" she accused at one point when his hand was yet 15cm away.

Becker responded with an innocent shrug. "I didn't do anything," he pointed out.

Jess swatted him playfully as she nestled back against his chest, accusing, "You were thinking about it."

Lester, who was sat next to them on the sofa, eyed them both warily. "If thinking were a crime, I imagine Becker wouldn't be the only one in trouble."

Becker rolled his eyes before noticing that Jess's cheeks looked a shade pinker than a moment before, making him wonder what naughty thoughts had been running through her head.

It wasn't until after the match, when the exhausted contingent started to disband, that Connor brought up the dreaded topic of sleeping arrangements.

"You're not sleeping with me, Mr. Grabby Hands!" Lester insisted.

"I told you, I thought you was Abby!" Connor defended himself once again.

"Let's just keep everything the same as last week, yeah?" Abby suggested. "At least for tonight - we're all too tired to do anything else."

"But...I think I feel a bad dream coming on," Connor jokingly whined. "You know, that hat Queen Victoria was wearing today is likely to cause everyone nightmares."

"Connor," Abby scolded, shaking her head.

But Jess still fell for it. "Perhaps I can rearrange things tomorrow," she suggested through a yawn, and Becker was at least proud of her for not offering to stay up tonight to work out a solution. He leant down and gave her a quick peck before offering her a "Good night."

Settling down on the floor after the others had headed upstairs, Becker wondered if, in the next schedule, Jess might be able to arrange for them to sleep together. Of course, he knew that they'd probably have to wait till after the Games for that, but it was definitely something to look forward to.

As was their upcoming date tomorrow. He hadn't snogged in the back row of a film in years and frankly couldn't wait.

He was so tired that he fell asleep almost immediately, thinking happy thoughts of Jess in his arms. Morning came much too early, and Becker was surprised to find Matt already up and dressed when he opened his eyes.

"Going for a run so early?" Becker asked.

Matt gave him a look. "Early?"

Becker glanced at his watch in the dim morning light. "Dammit!" he grumbled to himself, having forgotten to reset his alarm after their lie-down yesterday. He tossed back the covers, asking Matt, "Will you wait?"

Matt looked annoyed but nodded his head, and Becker threw on his clothes in record time. Heading out to the pavement, Becker was relieved to be back on a normal work schedule again. However, thinking about the day ahead, he remembered their last shift - and Matt's strange behaviour regarding the anomalies. Whatever it was, the team leader had seemed in a rotten mood all yesterday as well, but that wasn't really any of Becker's business. The anomalies, however, were.

"Did you find any?" Becker suddenly asked without preamble, eliciting a confused look from Matt. "Other anomalies that we hadn't been informed of?" he quickly clarified.

Matt shook his head, giving a simple, "No."

That was a relief. Or at least it should've been. Becker wasn't sure why Matt had been so anxious to know about them in the first place...nor why he didn't seem pleased that they hadn't missed any. Becker had gotten the impression, from the way the team leader had acted, that Matt's concern had something to do with the time period the anomalies went to, but Becker couldn't figure out why that would matter. Unless...

"Is it something to do with Emily?" he blurted out.

"No!"

The phrase "The lady doth protest too much" suddenly popped into Becker's head, though he didn't imagine Matt would be too thrilled to be referred to as a lady. But his heated answer certainly suggested that this anomaly business had something to do with Emily. But what? Emily seemed happy here and was settling in surprisingly well. And weren't she and Matt meant to be away on holiday together this very minute? So why would an anomaly opening back up to Emily's time make any difference?

Unless something had changed.

Maybe that was it. Matt was from the future - perhaps he was aware of something that the others weren't. Something that Emily's continued presence in this time was affecting. Perhaps by her coming to live in this time she'd upset the balance somehow, changed things. Perhaps for some reason she needed to go back...

"Does it affect the security of the team?" Becker asked. Matt eyed him, seemingly annoyed by all the questions, but Becker quickly went on. "If it does, I need to know. If not...well...if you want to behave like an ass, then it's none of my business."

Matt said nothing, and the two men ran on in silence, their trainers slapping against the damp pavement. Becker's mind moved on to other things, thinking about the work day ahead and his date that evening...not to mention stray thoughts brought on by Connor's suggestion yesterday that Jess take off her shirt. Therefore Becker was a bit confused when, unlocking the front door at Jess's flat, Matt finally replied.

"I don't know."

...

to be continued


	22. Ch 22 IT'S A DATE

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 22 - IT'S A DATE

...

Having been awake for the previous day and a half, Jess slept soundly through the night. And through Abby's alarm. And through Emily accidentally knocking her heavy tome off the bedside table. And even through Connor stubbing his toe in the corridor, which practically awoke the entire neighbourhood.

In fact, she slept until Abby shook her awake. "Jess. C'mon. It's late."

Jess rolled over to glance at her clock and suddenly bolted awake. "Dammit!" she exclaimed as she jumped out of bed and scurried down the stairs. As she rounded the corner, she practically collided with Becker, who was pouring himself a cup of coffee in the kitchen. He smiled when she appeared...and then frowned as he took in her appearance.

"I overslept," she blurted out, as if it weren't obvious by her pyjamas and mussy hair.

"I can see that," he teased, giving her a quick peck.

But she didn't have time for kisses. "Just go on to work without me," she said, grabbing the cup from his hands and taking a swig. She shuddered, crinkling her nose at the bitter taste of the milkless coffee, before continuing, "I'll take my own car and simply meet you there."

"I can wait for-" he began, but Jess cut him off, shoving the cup back at him as she insisted, "Really. I don't want to make you late. Just go."

Hurrying up the stairs before he could protest further, she gave Abby a grateful "Thanks" as they passed. Luckily everyone else was already out of the toilet, so Jess rushed inside and hopped in the shower. She would've skipped it altogether, only tonight was her date and she wanted to look her best. Unfortunately, the hot water didn't last long, but she managed to get the shampoo rinsed out before growing too chilled.

When she emerged, the flat was eerily quiet. Jess realised it was the first time in over a week she'd been truly alone. It felt strange...and oddly exhilarating. It occurred to her that, in just a fortnight's time, the others would be back at their homes, and even Abby and Connor would be gone to their new place, and she was momentarily overwhelmed with a combined feeling of freedom and loneliness - she realised she'd be able to roam the flat naked if she so chose, but she'd have no one to come home to, no one to share her nights with. However, a vision of Becker suddenly flooded her mind, and she imagined that he'd probably be happy to keep her company...and perhaps wouldn't mind her walking about naked either! She sighed wistfully, wondering how many hours until their date.

Of course, she needed to get through the day first, so she scurried across to her bedroom clad only in a towel, opened her wardrobe, and stared at her clothes. She wasn't simply dressing for the work day, she was also dressing for her date. She wanted to look good, to let Becker know that she'd made an extra effort just for him, but she didn't want to be too obvious about it.

But after looking through her hangers and rejecting every single outfit for one reason or another, she heaved a frustrated sigh. Maybe she was overthinking this. Surely Becker would like her in whatever she wore, wouldn't he? After all, she didn't much care what he was going to wear on their date; she only cared about getting to spend some time alone with him. So she determinedly chose the second outfit she grabbed (the first being her blue and white romper, and she now knew better than to wear a skort when there was going to be snogging) and put it on quickly, pulling her still-wet hair up into a neat bun before hurrying out.

She was quite late for work, but no one even seemed to notice. Arriving in Ops, she headed straight for Lester's office. Letting herself in, she logged onto his computer and redid his desktop just the way he - and she - liked it, for now the icons were arranged so he didn't have to ask her every few minutes how to find things.

As she was finishing up, Lester walked in. "What are you doing, Parker?" he asked, obviously surprised to find her behind his desk.

"Fixing your desktop, just as you asked." He came around to take a look at his monitor, and she glanced up at him. "It's what you wanted, yeah?"

Lester nodded. "Yes, I'm just...surprised you remembered."

Jess felt her cheeks growing pink as she insisted, "Of course I remembered!" Why did everyone think her brain stopped working when she was around Becker?

Lester nodded. "Well, go on, Parker," he said, practically shooing her out of his office. "Don't you have other work to do?"

Jess rolled her eyes, mumbling a sarcastic, "You're welcome," before heading out. At the hub she was pleasantly surprised to find a cup of frothy coffee waiting for her. She took a welcome sip of the now lukewarm drink, deciding it couldn't have tasted more perfect, for she knew that Becker had made an extra stop just for her. She smiled to herself, thinking she must thank him properly for it tonight.

Though she impatiently wondered if tonight would ever get here.

...

Becker called as soon as the restaurant was open, making their reservation for 18:00. He decided that would give them plenty of time to get there in rush hour traffic, plenty of time for a leisurely dinner, and plenty of time to get to a film that wouldn't keep them out too late on a work night. He informed Jess about the reservation when she finally showed up for lunch break, since she still seemed to be running behind from this morning. She quickly looked up the list of films on her mobile so they could plan their evening, but he insisted that he didn't much care what they saw, just as long as the armrests folded back.

"Nice priorities," Abby teased as Jess's cheeks turned pink, but Becker shrugged - what was the point in being discrete when it was bloody obvious to everyone what they were planning.

To most everyone, that is.

"Why would the armrests make a difference to your enjoyment of the film?" Emily asked.

Jess, however, quickly changed the topic. "Oh, I just saw the new trailer for the _Les Mis_ film that's coming out in December."

"The one with Russell Crowe?" Abby asked, suddenly interested.

Jess nodded. "And Hugh Jackman."

"AND Hugh Jackman?!" Abby sighed wistfully before reaching across the table and taking hold of the other girls' hands. "It's a date, yeah?"

Before Emily could inquire who Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman were, Becker and the other boys all quickly excused themselves, leaving the girls to drool on their own.

It felt good to finally be back on a normal schedule, and Becker was pleased to be getting so much accomplished today. Of course, keeping busy made the time go faster, which helped speed the time till their date.

Finally, at the end of shift, he went to the hub to collect Jess.

"Is it that time already?" Jess asked, not even taking her eyes from the monitor.

Becker shrugged. "Not necessarily. I mean, if you're in the middle of-"

"Yes, please!" she said, nodding gratefully as her fingers continued across the keyboard.

Becker nodded and wandered off. New supplies had just been received in the armoury which needed to be inventoried and put away, and he decided he might as well go do it now, for he was certain the other shifts wouldn't bother to do it properly...if they even bothered to do it at all.

When he finished, it was nearly 17:00. Perfect, he thought, that should give us just enough time to get to the restaurant. But as he approached the hub, he realised Jess still wasn't ready.

"Sorry," she said before he could even inquire. "I'm nearly done, but I need a few more minutes." She gave him an apologetic smile. "Why don't you go on without me? I have my own car anyway, so I can simply meet you there."

Becker sighed - he'd been looking forward to this date all day, and he was frustrated with the delay. On the other hand, after having waited well over twenty-four hours, what were a few more minutes? Besides, hadn't he wanted to stop at a Boots to pick up some "official Olympic protection", just in case?

So he nodded, admonishing, "Just don't stay too long."

"I won't," Jess promised. "I'll see you soon."

"You'd better," he scolded playfully, giving her a quick peck before heading out.

Even with his brief diversion to the pharmacy, he managed to get to the restaurant in plenty of time. Luckily the restaurant was off the beaten path, which meant that it wasn't overrun with Olympic tourists and traffic hadn't been bad. The _maitre'd_ recognised Becker instantly, smiling as the soldier approached.

"_Bon soir, monsieur_. You are not alone, no? Your _belle fille_ shall be joining you _certainement_?"

Becker nodded, explaining, "She's just running a bit late."

"No problem, _monsieur_. I have the perfect table waiting for you. Let me show you to your seat so you may peruse our wine list, no?"

The _maitre'd_ led Becker to a quiet corner table for two, which was indeed perfect, and handed him the wine list. Becker blanched when he saw the prices, but then he remembered how much money he was making by letting out his flat and decided to splurge. After all, he wanted tonight to be special, for it was the first real date they'd been on since the Games had started.

"Excellent choice, _monsieur_," the waiter complimented Becker's order. "I will bring your bottle _tout de suite_."

As the waiter disappeared into the kitchen, Becker glanced at his watch, wondering what was taking Jess so long. Had she run into traffic? Or had she simply gotten so engrossed in her work that she'd lost track of time? Becker pulled out his mobile, deciding he'd best ring her just to make certain she was on her way.

But no sooner had he dialled her number than he heard her ringtone sound within the restaurant. He looked up to see Jess wending her way through the tables, frantically pulling her mobile from her handbag to turn it off. She then gave a contrite, "Sorry, sorry," as she reached his side.

Becker shrugged, standing up to welcome her. "You've been running behind all...day..."

He trailed off as he realised that Jess was not merely apologising for her lateness.

For Emily was right behind her.

...

to be continued


	23. Ch 23 DINNER DISTRACTIONS

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 23 - DINNER DISTRACTIONS

...

Jess had spent the entire drive worrying about how Becker might react to her ruining their date. But she hadn't really had much choice.

After Becker had left, she'd frantically tried to finish up her project, knowing how late she was running but not wanting to leave it unfinished. She was nearly done when she suddenly heard Emily's voice behind her.

"May I ride home with you?"

Jess completed the last few keystrokes, ending with a triumphant _Ctrl-S_, before turning to her friend. "Actually I'm not going-"

But she stopped mid-sentence when she saw Emily, who appeared on the verge of tears.

"Emily, what happened?"

"Matt and I just..." The girl shook her head, swallowing hard, before starting over. "I would rather not be alone with him at present."

"Oh, Emily!" Jess felt sick to her stomach, not sure what to say. Clearly the row had been intense, for she'd never seen Emily cry before. Yet it was well after the end of their shift, which meant that Abby and Connor, not to mention Lester, had long since gone home. Jess simply didn't know what to do, being caught completely off-guard, since Matt and Emily always seemed to get along swimmingly. "What did he say?" she blurted out.

As his harsh words came back to her, Emily's eyes welled with tears again, and Jess knew in an instant what she must do.

"Never mind," Jess said, hopping out of her chair and giving her friend a comforting hug. She then turned back to her monitor, quickly closing the database she'd just completed before taking Emily's hand. "C'mon. Let's get out of here. You can come along to dinner with me and Becker."

But Emily looked stricken. "I did not know you were... I am sorry. I do not wish to interrupt."

"You're not interrupting," Jess insisted, even as she envisioned Becker's angry expression. "Really. It's just dinner. It'll be fine."

Emily still looked doubtful. "If you are certain I am not-"

"You're not! I promise! C'mon."

Yet she'd dreaded what Becker might say. He could sometimes be a prat when he didn't get what he wanted, and she knew he'd been looking forward to this date as much as she had. But she just had to hope that he'd behave himself.

When they arrived, Jess had planned to warn Becker first, but he'd clearly seen Emily before Jess could explain.

"Um...I brought Emily with me," Jess said awkwardly, not wanting Emily to feel like she was crashing their date. "I was, uh, telling her about how amazing the food is here. And the more, the merrier, right?"

Becker gave her a stern look, and she mouthed the word, "Matt." Unfortunately he was rubbish at reading lips and just shook his head, scowling and looking confused.

Emily, however, spoke up. "Jess suggested I would not be intruding. I am sorry if I-"

"You're not," Jess insisted. "It's just dinner."

"But...there is no room," Emily said, gesturing to the table for two. "Perhaps I should simply ring-"

"No!" Jess said, stopping her friend before she could leave. "We'll get another table. It's not a problem. _Monsieur_? Oh, _monsieur_?" she said, flagging down the _maitre'd_, who'd just been seating another party. "I'm terribly sorry, but could we have a table for three instead? Our friend decided to join us."

The _maitre'd_ smiled at Emily before nodding to Becker. "You have all the luck, _monsieur_, to be dining _avec deux femmes_. Let me find you another table _tout de suite_."

As the _maitre'd _led them to another table, a much-less intimate one in the middle of the restaurant, a waiter suddenly appeared with a bottle of wine. "For you, _monsieur_," he said, displaying the bottle for Becker's approval. Becker nodded, and the waiter proceeded to go through the ritual, letting Becker smell the cork before pouring a small taste. Once convinced that Becker would enjoy the wine, the waiter poured three well-portioned glasses before finally leaving them alone.

As Emily and Becker both eagerly reached for their wine, Jess, sat between them, smiled back and forth, awkwardly offering, "So...what shall we order?"

...

This time Jess's selflessness had gone too far! It was one thing to schedule all her friends to work during the opening ceremonies, for she'd had to assign someone to that shift anyway, but it was quite another to sacrifice their date, and for what? Becker wasn't even sure why Jess had brought Emily along, and Jess was too busy trying to make her friend feel welcome to give him any clue as to her motives.

However, he didn't have to wait long before he started to figure it out for himself.

No sooner had the waiter taken their orders - and topped off Becker's and Emily's wine glasses - than Emily's mobile rang. She pulled her phone out of her handbag, frowning as she glanced at the screen.

"Don't answer him," Jess encouraged, and Emily nodded, sending the call to voicemail.

Him? Matt, perhaps? From what Becker had seen today, Matt's petulance had been somewhat tempered from yesterday, but perhaps the bloke had said something to Emily. Of course, Becker had seen Emily take Matt to task yesterday for his behaviour, so if the team leader were behaving like an ass again today, why hadn't she simply done the same?

A minute later Emily's phone rang again, and Jess instantly reached for it, turning off the ringer so it wouldn't bother them again.

But after a brief pause, a new ringtone sounded. Jess angrily reached for her own phone, abruptly answering, "Emily's having dinner with us. Stop ringing!" She rung off immediately, purposefully tucking her mobile back in her bag after shutting off its ringer.

Becker stared. He'd never known Jess to be rude! Matt must've done something truly awful to prompt such behaviour.

But it seemed even Jess didn't know exactly what he'd done. "Are you okay?" she asked tenderly, taking her friend's hand. "Do you want to talk about it?" Emily frowned, and Jess quickly backtracked. "You don't have to. We can discuss something else instead. Isn't this a lovely restaurant?"

But Emily didn't follow the subject change. Instead, after setting down her wine glass, she stated bluntly, "He told me I was a distraction...again."

"Again?" Becker blurted out - that was hardly the kind of thing a bloke could get away with saying once, let alone repeating it.

Jess, however, asked the more pertinent, "A distraction? From what?"

Emily shook her head. "I do not know. He seemed so..." She trailed off, at a loss for how to continue.

Jess squeezed her hand, gently encouraging, "Start at the beginning, yeah?"

Yet this suggestion made Emily frown. "That is what is so... I cannot even say how it began. We were having a pleasant enough conversation after work, and the topic of Paris came round. I inquired as to when we might reschedule our holiday - I would obviously prefer to go sooner rather than later." Jess gave a nod of understanding, and Becker guessed there was something he was missing. "And that is when..." She shook her head and took another sip of her wine, clearly upset. "He suddenly grew agitated, asking what should happen if there were an anomaly while we were away."

Now it was Becker's turn to frown. Didn't Matt trust the team? Becker could understand Matt's frustration with the back-up team not informing him of the anomaly the other day, but surely the team leader could rely on Becker and the others to handle things properly.

"But that makes no sense," Jess said, obviously thinking along the same lines. "If that were an issue, if he didn't think we were capable of dealing with the anomalies by ourselves, why was he even planning a holiday in the first place?"

"That is what I asked," Emily said. "In reply, he insisted that he should never have even entertained the notion of going away on holiday. It seemed, however, that he had grown... complacent... because of me. He said I had once again become a distraction, preventing him from focussing on what really matters," she finished bitterly.

"And what's that?" Becker snapped. "We stopped Phillip. We fixed the future. We're perfectly capable of dealing with any anomalies that might come along. What more does he want?"

Emily shook her head. "I do not know. That was why I was so...taken aback. It is not like Matt to speak of such things, not now. After all we have been through, we simply do not keep secrets from each other." Jess gave Emily a questioning look and she amended, "Secrets of that sort, anyway. So this seemingly came from out of the blue - it is the first he has mentioned anything like this since Phillip."

Becker's conversation with Matt this morning flashed through his mind. Clearly the team leader's concerns, whatever they were, centred about the anomalies and seemed to involve Emily as well. Perhaps Matt was aware something the others weren't privy to.

"Maybe you need to go back," Becker stated.

"Becker!" Jess scolded, horrified.

Realising how it'd sounded, he quickly said, "I wasn't saying you should. I simply meant-"

"But you see, that is precisely what Matt meant," Emily insisted. "Or, at least, it was the first time he told me. That is why I went home."

"Wait, what?!" Jess sounded appalled. "You mean, that's why you...?"

Emily nodded. "He told me of his mission, of being sent back to this time to save the future. And then he claimed I was a distraction - what was I meant to do? After all, the fate of the world..." She trailed off with a resigned shrug.

"Yeah, and we SAVED the world, with your help," Becker insisted, furious. He had always assumed that Emily had simply wanted to return to her own time. Matt had never given them any indication that he'd essentially sent her away. Of course, at that point he'd still been lying to them about everything. So what further lies were they now to uncover? "I can't believe this!" Becker snapped, his angry voice carrying across the restaurant. "This is simply unacceptable! How dare he-?"

"I am _tr__è__s_ sorry for the wait, _monsieur_," the waiter frantically apologised as he hurried over. "When you moved tables, I did not think to bring your bread. And your appetiser order appears to have gone missing as well. It has just been put in again, but of course you shall not be charged. I am so terribly sorry." He placed the bread and olive oil on the table before refilling their wine glasses. Nearing the bottom of the bottle, the waiter asked, "Another bottle, _monsieur_? Our complements, of course!"

Becker nodded vaguely, rather confused by what was happening, and the waiter hurried off.

Jess was the first to recover. "Well...that was unexpected," she said into the awkward silence that followed.

Emily nodded. "And please, let us no longer speak of Matt tonight. I do not wish to further ruin your dinner."

"You haven't ruined it," Jess insisted. "If anything, it's Matt who's got us all upset, not you."

Becker nodded - he was happy to transfer all his anger and frustration over their ruined date to Matt.

Jess continued, "But you're right, Emily. Let's forget about him. We'll have a lovely time tonight, just the three of us. Now you must try their bread - it's delicious! And just wait till the Apricot Chambord Brie gets here - it's to die for."

And free, Becker thought with a smile as he took another sip of his wine.

...

to be continued


	24. Ch 24 INQUIRING INTERVENTIONS

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 24 - INQUIRING INTERVENTIONS

...

Jess sighed. This was so not how she'd envisioned this evening. However, it could've been worse - Becker didn't seem too annoyed, at least not with her nor Emily. Of course, the wine might've been helping with his attitude.

It was certainly helping with Emily's. She seemed practically cheerful, which was frankly amazing, considering what they'd learnt about Matt tonight.

Jess still couldn't believe that Matt had essentially sent Emily away. It was one thing for him to be committed to his mission, but it was quite another to turn his back on someone he obviously cared deeply for and let her return to an unhappy existence in her own time. Surely it wasn't an either-or proposition...and clearly it hadn't been, for they'd managed to stop Phillip after Emily's return to this time.

So what was going on with Matt now? Had something happened? She was dying to know, but she certainly wasn't about to find out here tonight at the restaurant, so instead she was left to worry, thinking up her own possibilities of what further dreadful revelations were just around the corner.

Emily, however, was doing her best to keep the table distracted.

"So, I am a trifle confused," Emily stated, having just taken another sip of wine. "Could you please explain to me what is meant by the term 'date'?"

"Date?" Jess echoed back, flashing Becker a nervous look, begging him not to put his foot in it; after all, she didn't want Emily to feel bad about crashing theirs.

"Yes," Emily said. "Abby used the phrase today during our midday meal, referring to the new _Les Miserables_ film as a 'date' - what did she mean by that?"

Jess breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, well, see, she used the phrase 'It's a date', which essentially means 'It's a plan' or 'It's a promise'. She meant she wanted us to promise to see the film together when it comes out." Emily still looked confused, so Jess further clarified, "As we mentioned, the actors playing Valjean and Javert are...rather handsome," Jess finished carefully, not wanting to gush too much over other men in front of Becker, as she knew he tended to be the jealous type.

But her explanation didn't seem to address the source of Emily's confusion. "Then why have I heard some of the ARC soldiers commenting that the two of you are 'dating'? What exactly are you two promising?"

Jess had hoped to avoid this topic, but Becker jumped in, explaining, "That's a different meaning."

"That is what I thought," Emily nodded, looking somewhat relieved. "Dating also means courting, correct? Thus you can understand my confusion over Abby's comment, for I did not think she was interested in courting either of us, as she is already promised to Connor."

Jess nodded. 'Courting' was such an old-fashioned term, but at least it was a familiar concept to Emily so further explanation wouldn't be necessary.

Or so she thought.

"I know customs have changed since my time," Emily went on, "so I am curious - what exactly constitutes this other type of date?"

"Well," Jess began, "a date can be anything, really. Going to see a film, going dancing, staying in..."

"Eating dinner," Becker added pointedly, causing Jess to give him a stern look before hurrying on.

"Pretty much anything can be considered a date."

"So then what makes it a date?"

Jess was confused by the question. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I imagine you and Captain Becker have shared many meals together over the past few years, yet you only recently started 'dating'. So what is the difference? Why is it a date NOW but not then?"

"Well, certainly not NOW," Becker grumbled under his breath, and Jess gave him a nudge under the table before responding, "I guess the difference is... I mean... well, if we both KNOW it's a date...and WANT it to be one, then it is...I guess?" she ended uncertainly

Emily nodded. "So it's more of a...mutual understanding."

Becker shook his head. "I wouldn't exactly say that." Under the intense scrutiny of the two girls, he quickly explained, "I mean, I've been on 'dates' that I didn't even KNOW were dates until much too late." He seemed to shudder at an unpleasant memory, and Jess was instantly curious as to what bad experiences he'd had, as she certainly didn't want to repeat them.

In the meantime, she confirmed, "I guess he's right. So perhaps it's less about understanding and more about... expectations?"

Emily purposefully set down her wine glass and leant in. "And what ARE those expectations?"

Jess could feel her face turning a brilliant shade of red. "Well...um...to have a...pleasant time?"

Emily frowned. "Would one not expect to have a pleasant time dining with a friend, even were it not a date?"

Jess nodded, feeling extremely uncomfortable. "I suppose?"

"So what exactly are you expecting then?"

Becker sighed, and Jess felt a wave of guilt wash over her. She knew this certainly wasn't what he'd been expecting for tonight, and she flashed him an apologetic smile. He nodded back, and suddenly she felt him reach for her hand underneath the table, giving it a reassuring squeeze as if to let her know he didn't blame her for the way tonight had turned out.

This action also caused a lightbulb to go off in her mind. "Holding hands. Yes! That's something you'd expect on a date."

"That is it?" Emily looked somewhat disappointed. "Holding hands? That is all one expects on a date?"

"Well," Jess began, her face flushing red again, "that...and...perhaps..."

"Kissing," Becker stated bluntly. "One expects kissing."

"That is what I thought, " Emily nodded, "but no one would give me a straight answer."

Jess wondered if "no one" was Matt, though both he and Emily were so reserved, Jess couldn't even imagine the topic coming up.

"But it is not just kissing, correct?" Emily went on. "I imagine one might eventually expect marital relations."

Jess's cheeks were certainly staying warm tonight. "Well, not everyone who dates expects to get married," she quickly protested, pointedly not looking in Becker's direction. "I mean, certainly not right away. I mean, EVENTUALLY, if things go well, then a proposal might be-"

"I am sorry," Emily interrupted, shaking her head. "I forgot that you use different terms now. I was not actually referring to marriage itself. What I meant to say was that, if two people were dating, they might eventually expect to have...I believe you simply refer to it as sex, yes?"

Becker spontaneously choked on his wine, and Jess worriedly patted him on the back. Eventually, after much coughing and gasping, he was finally able to breathe again, his eyes stopped watering, and the other diners ceased their staring.

"I apologise if I offended you," Emily said, looking contrite.

Becker shook his head. "You didn't offend," he said, his voice coming out almost squeaky from all the coughing. He stopped and cleared his throat before continuing in a normal tone. "You just...surprised me."

"But why?" Emily asked, shrugging. "I am no child. I had a husband, remember? It might not have been a happy marriage, but it was a marriage."

Jess had never really thought about it that way before. She'd always felt somewhat uncomfortable discussing such things with Emily, knowing her friend's Victorian background. But clearly Emily was far more worldly and experienced than Jess herself.

Suddenly feeling extremely self-conscious about where else this topic might lead, Jess quickly tried to change the subject. 'So...how's your food, Emily? Would you like to try a bite of my quiche? It's lovely."

But Emily apparently wasn't finished. "So marit- sorry - sex is now pretty much expected before marriage, yes? I mean, it is generally acceptable in polite society these days, if I am not mistaken. They seem to be mentioning it all the time on the telly."

"It's common, yeah," Becker said.

"Though not required," Jess hastily clarified. "Not everyone- I mean, some people still wait till marriage before they- I mean, for religious reasons...or whatever." She didn't want Emily to think that she MUST if she didn't want to. After all, there were still double-standards when it came to sex, despite all the work done by the Spice Girls. Even Jess often found it difficult to traverse these uncertain waters, and she'd grown up in this time!

"Connor and Abby didn't wait," Emily stated matter-of-factly.

Of course, being their flatmate, Jess was intimately aware of their sex life. However, they always did they best to be discrete and went out of their way to ensure Jess didn't feel uncomfortable, and in return, Jess felt she owed it to them not to gossip or give too much away. "Well, what Connor and Abby do is really their own-"

"I have heard them."

Unfortunately Becker had once again been taking a sip of his wine, only this time he spewed it all over the table. Jess quickly attempted to wipe up the mess, getting purple stains all over her fancy white napkin, but at least it gave her something to do.

However, Emily seemed oblivious to their reactions. "The walls in your flat are quite thin, you know," she blithely went on. "And I do not think they were aware I was in your bedroom reading at the time."

The last thing Jess wanted to be discussing tonight, on what was supposed to be her date with Becker, was the mating habits of her flatmates. And Becker did not seem particularly comfortable with the topic either for once again he reached for his drink, obviously hoping the alcohol would make it all go away. However, after what had just happened, Jess didn't think it wise for Becker to be anywhere near the wine right now, as Emily kept make non-liquid-safe comments. Jess grabbed Becker's wrist, making him set the glass safely back on the table.

Just in the nick of time, too, for the next words out of Emily's mouth were, "I must say, they both seemed to quite enjoy it."

Perhaps, Jess thought, Emily had had enough wine for the evening as well!

...

To put it simply, Becker was frustrated.

He was frustrated that his evening hadn't gone as planned. He was frustrated that Matt had turned out to be more of an ass than he'd thought, frustrated that the team leader was keeping something from them all regarding the anomalies, and frustrated that he'd had to sacrifice his date to find out all this. Now that dinner was over, he was frustrated that Jess was making them go home straightaway instead of going to the cinema (and frustrated that their snogging would've been severely limited due to Emily's presence even if they had gone). And he was frustrated that Jess had insisted she drive him home, as if she blamed the spewing of his wine on him being pissed rather than Emily's outrageous comments.

But most of all, Becker was just plain frustrated. He wanted Jess, yet they'd barely had any time lately to even squeeze in a quick snog. And what was all that that Jess was saying at the restaurant, about people waiting till marriage? Was that Jess's intention? And did that mean she was still a...?

Great! That was just the sort of added pressure he needed!

He let out a frustrated sigh into the dark car as it practically crawled along the city streets towards Jess's flat. Bringing the vehicle to a stop at the next traffic light, Jess gave him an inquiring look, and he merely shrugged - he couldn't exactly discuss any of these concerns with her at present, with Emily sitting in the back seat.

Jess surreptitiously reached over towards the centre console, taking his hand and giving it a comforting squeeze. She flashed him an apologetic smile, clearly still feeling guilty for how the evening had turned out. It seemed she was always thinking of others, a fact that just made him want her more!

But at least he got to hold her hand all the way back to the flat, a fact that made Becker's frustration ease a bit...and made him reconsider the benefits of driving an automatic transmission.

When they arrived back at the flat, Becker was the first up the stairs. Abby glanced over from the sofa, obviously surprised to see him home so early.

"Becker! So how was your date?"

"Date?" Emily repeated, turning towards Jess. "I knew it! I was certain I was interrupting."

"You weren't, really!" Jess insisted, though Becker could tell Emily wasn't buying it.

"It doesn't matter, Emily," Becker quickly offered, trying to put her - and, more specifically, Jess - at ease. "I'm happy you joined us tonight."

Abby once again looked surprised. "Oh, you and Matt had dinner with them?"

"Why wasn't we invited?" Connor whined.

But Becker and the two girls had instantly tensed at the mention of Matt's name, and before Becker even had time to think through the implications, Lester asked, "So where is Matt?"

"He is not here?" Emily asked, clearly concerned.

Abby shook her head. "We assumed he was with you."

Emily turned to Jess, obviously worried about what might have happened, filling Becker with a sudden rage. Matt had already ruined their dinner, and now it looked like he was on track for ruining the rest of their evening as well.

"I'll give him a ring," Becker offered, pulling out his mobile as he turned and walked away from the others, hoping to get some semblance of privacy. He retreated to the dining room, making his way around Abby and Connor's moving boxes, absently pulling out a chair before realising he was too angry to sit. He began to pace in the small, enclosed space, trying to decide what to say to the team leader when he got him on the phone. He had plenty he wanted to say, plenty he wanted to ask, plenty he wanted to find out about what the hell was going on, but he didn't much feel like confronting Matt over the phone.

However, Becker'd promised the others he'd make the call, so he decided to go ahead and get it over with. Glancing down at his mobile to dial Matt's number, he promptly stubbed his toe on the pulled-out chair. Without thinking, he gave it an angry kick, causing it to slam loudly into Jess's table. He cringed, quickly rubbing his fingers over the site of the collision, but luckily it didn't appear as if he'd done any damage. He breathed a sigh of relief and quickly rang Matt.

"Yeah?" Matt answered, and Becker could instantly recognise the hum of the Ops instruments in the background, making his rage surge once again - here the others were worried, and the prat was safely back at work.

"You're staying the night at the ARC, yeah?" Becker stated more than asked, hoping Matt would get the hint and stay away.

Luckily he took the bait. "I can," the team leader answered simply.

"Good. Tomorrow then." And Becker rung off quickly before Matt - or he - could say anything more.

Filled with rage and frustration, he slammed his mobile down on the dining room table, making a louder noise than he'd intended.

"Becker?" Jess tentatively peered around the corner of the boxes, looking nervous. "Everything okay?"

"Matt's fine," he said simply. "You can tell the others he's simply staying the night at the ARC."

Jess nodded. "Well, if you'd like to come join us, Australia's slaughtering Team GB in Women's Water Polo, but we're probably going to switch over to the football match shortly, if Emily has her-"

"No," Becker snapped, a bit harsher than he'd intended. He simply wasn't up for being around the others tonight. He was angry and needed some time alone - or whatever passed for alone around this place. "Sorry," he quickly apologised. "I just... I'm not up for sitting around all night."

Jess nodded, still looking concerned. She gave him a friendly peck, saying, "Well, the offer remains open if you change your mind."

She started to go, but he quickly grabbed her and pulled her close, giving her a proper kiss. It was exactly what he needed, after the evening they'd just spent, and he would've just as soon stayed here, with Jess in his arms, all night. However, he knew she wanted to get back to the Games, so when they came up for air, he let her go, nodding, "Go on. Enjoy the Games."

"You sure?" Jess asked.

He nodded. "I'll be fine." For he suddenly had an idea.

...

to be continued


	25. Ch 25 RECLUSIVE ROLE-PLAYING

Let the Games Begin

...

_Author's Note: Apparently several of my readers thought Becker would be rushing to confront Matt, and yes, that would've been a way to get rid of SOME of his frustrations; however, I decided to have him address his OTHER frustrations first! Hopefully you'll enjoy it! And I promise, you will find out what's going on with Matt (though with their jobs, you never know what might interrupt their best laid plans, so yeah, it won't be for a few more chapters!)_

_Also, I started posting this story exactly three months ago! 25 chapters in three months is pretty good, yeah? And I'm currently in the middle of the first draft of chapter 46 (and there's still several exciting things yet to happen that I haven't even gotten to yet!), so barring catastrophe, I'm hoping to continue to post chapters approximately every 3 or 4 days. :)_ _ Hope you continue to enjoy!_

...

Chapter 25 - RECLUSIVE ROLE-PLAYING

...

Jess could hear Becker storming about in the dining room all evening, but she dared not go check up on him. She knew he was angry about Matt - and about their failed date - so she figured it was probably best just to leave him be, to work out his anger issues in private, even it if made things a bit uncomfortable for her and the others.

Of course, that wasn't the only thing making them uncomfortable. And the moment Emily went upstairs to use the toilet during half-time, Jess was pounced upon for answers.

"What the hell's going on?" Abby asked, and the others leant in anxiously to hear her response.

Jess wasn't sure what to say. She didn't want to betray any of Emily's confidences, but obviously she needed to give some sort of explanation. "Well, apparently Matt's been keeping something from the rest of us, something about the anomalies."

"What?" Lester asked, instantly worried.

Jess shook her head. "We don't know. But whatever it is, he said...some unkind things to Emily this evening which rather upset her, so she ended up coming to dinner with us."

Abby gave a knowing nod. "So that explains why Becker's in a temper."

"Well yes, that, but I think he's quite upset with Matt as well. Hopefully tomorrow we can-"

"Hey, did you hear we took a gold medal in Rowing today?" Connor quickly blurted out, and Jess realised Emily must've come back downstairs.

"A gold?" Jess repeated.

As Emily rejoined the others, she asked, "Which event?"

Connor shrugged. "Not sure. But I think we won a bronze, too."

Jess smiled, relieved not to be discussing the awkwardness anymore. "I'll have a look at the medal table," she said, flashing Connor a grateful smile, but he'd already turned back to the match.

After watching Uruguay beat Team GB in Men's Football, Jess realised just how emotionally exhausted she was. She made her excuses and hurried upstairs to get ready for bed. Changing into her pyjamas, she sensed something was different in her room, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Deciding it was nothing, she went to the toilet and brushed her teeth. When finished, she opened the door and was surprised to find Becker standing in the corridor, wearing only his pyjama bottoms, obviously ready for bed himself.

"Come with me," he said, taking her hand and leading her down the stairs. He took her into the dining room and gestured past the boxes stacked high atop the table, saying, "So what do you think?"

But Jess was thoroughly confused. "About what?" she asked. About Matt? About Emily? About his strange, anti-social behaviour all evening?

He sighed, gesturing again. "About...?" But he stopped, frowning, before mumbling to himself, "Oh, no wonder."

And then suddenly, without warning, he squatted down, pulling her down with him, causing Jess to emit a squeak of surprise. Once again he gestured, asking, "So what do you think?"

Now at the proper level, Jess finally understood the question. Instead of being cluttered with moving boxes, the floor beneath the table had been cleared away, replaced instead with a bed-like nest of pillows and blankets, topped by her grandmother's quilt - so that's what had been missing from her bedroom.

As she had not yet responded, Becker was clearly starting to get nervous. "I just thought... I mean, since we never got our kip yesterday nor our date tonight, I thought we could... But if you don't want to..."

Falling asleep in Becker's arms would be the perfect way to redeem this evening. "No, I want to," she said, smiling as she leant over to give him a kiss. Unfortunately, she wasn't very stable in her crouched position and lost her balance, falling against him and toppling them both to the ground.

"Sorry," she said, trying to extract herself from the tangle of limbs they'd created.

"I'm not," he said, pulling her close for a kiss.

When they came up for air, she teased, "Before we go any further, perhaps we should move onto the bed...since you did go to all this trouble."

He smiled and reached over to pull back the covers. As she crawled under the table, she realised there was something soft beneath the sheets, and she pulled them back to reveal his sleeping bag, unzipped and folded out to provide a cushion from the hard floor.

She rolled over to face him, ready to compliment him on his preparedness, when he caught her in another kiss. She kissed back, but something wasn't...

Becker pulled back. "You want to switch sides, don't you?"

Jess laughed. "Am I that predictable?"

Becker nodded, smiling. "At least it's easily fixed."

She nodded and began to ungracefully crawl over him to get to his other side. However, mid-straddle, Becker pulled her down to his chest, kissing her passionately.

When they separated, she smiled down at the handsome soldier...and realised that the dining room light was still on. "If we're going to actually get any sleep, I should probably turn the light off, yeah? So we don't have to...you know...get up later."

Becker raised an amused eyebrow, as if to remind her that he was already "up", as it were, and she blushed, quickly sitting up from where she was still astride him and promptly hitting her head on the tabletop.

"Careful!" He attempted to pull her back down to him, suggesting, "Let me kiss it and make it better."

She laughed. "Not until I get the light."

She very carefully crawled off of Becker and over to the edge of the makeshift bed, putting a precautionary hand upon the tabletop as she stood to ensure she didn't injure herself again. She made her way along the narrow path between the boxes and the table to the far wall and turned off the switch. Luckily there was still a faint light from the front room reflecting down over the stacks of boxes so Jess could see enough to make her way back to the bed. Crawling in next to Becker, he put his arms around her and pulled her close.

After a quick kiss, he stated, "I have a question for you."

"What's the capital of Uruguay?" she joked.

Becker rolled his eyes. "What's your opinion on...um... role-playing?"

"Role-playing?" Jess repeated nervously - she somehow didn't think he was referring to D&D.

She saw him nod in the dim light. "Since we didn't get our real date tonight, I thought we could...you know...pretend."

Jess breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm game," she agreed.

"Good." In the darkness, Jess could barely see him smile as he asked, "So, what took you so long?"

"What took me so...?" she began before realising he was referring to her being late to the restaurant. "Oh, right. Um...sorry, I just got busy with work stuff."

Becker nodded, giving her a quick peck before indicating, "I ordered us some wine."

"SOME?" she teased, thinking back to the excessive amounts of alcohol he and Emily had managed to imbibe tonight. However, she quickly amended, "I mean, wine sounds lovely."

"So...um...let's see...," Becker stammered, clearly trying to think of something to say. "Uh...how's your chocolate souffle?"

"Souffle? Don't we get dinner first?"

Becker shook his head. "To hell with dinner - I want to get to the cinema."

Jess laughed. "Then the souffle's lovely, thanks - would you like a bite?"

Becker frowned. "You didn't offer me a bite tonight," he complained.

"Because I didn't think I'd be snogging you," she replied honestly. "Besides, it's far easier to share an imaginary souffle than a real one."

Becker shook his head and gave her a kiss. Instead of souffle, he tasted of toothpaste, with a hint of wine, but she didn't mind.

"All right," he said, "so now we're at the cinema. Back row centre - perfect, yeah?"

"Actually, can you move over one? My armrest is broken."

"Jess! What the hell?"

"It's supposed to feel real, yeah? And I always seem to get broken seats at the cinema."

"Fine," Becker said, clearly annoyed as he pretended to adjust. "Better?"

"Awfully, thanks." She gave him a kiss. "So how soon until the film starts?"

As if in answer to the question, they were suddenly enveloped in total darkness as the light in the front room was extinguished.

"Perfect timing," Becker laughed, and although she now couldn't see him at all, Jess felt his breath on her face as he leant in to kiss her.

However, Jess pulled away. "What adverts are playing?"

"Jessica..." Had her eyes already adjusted to the darkness, she surely would've seen an eyeroll.

However, she was quick to defend herself. "Hey, I have to have details, yeah?"

"Fine. It's all the Olympic sponsors."

"First Coca Cola then." Jess kissed Becker, imagining the Coke advert playing as they sat in the back row, snuggled up together.

When they came up for air, she said, "McDonalds would probably be next, yeah?"

"Whatever," Becker said, obviously not as fixated on the details as she. Not that that made his kisses any less intense.

After hearing the whistled McDonalds theme song in her head, Jess pulled away, trying to think of another advert.

Becker must've noticed her struggling for he helpfully sang in her ear, "Let's get it on."

The condom advert from the other night suddenly popped into her head, and she was grateful for the darkness for she could feel her cheeks warming. "I think that's enough adverts," she quickly said. "Now it's time for the trailers. Let's see - _Les Mis_ perhaps?" Becker sighed, and she quickly amended, "Only with you in Hugh Jackman's role, of course."

He kissed her passionately, making all thoughts of the talented Australian actor flee her mind.

All thoughts but one, that is.

"Except...maybe without your singing," she teased, remembering his attempt at the condom advert.

"Well, if you're going to be like that," he said, his hand starting to move around towards her stomach.

"No, I didn't mean it!" she frantically insisted, grabbing his hand to prevent him from tickling her. "You can sing all you want! Really! I won't stop you!"

"Actually," he began, starting to trail kisses down her neck, "my lips...," kiss, "...are otherwise occupied...," kiss, "...at present."

Jess closed her eyes, letting herself simply feel for a moment, before returning briefly to their role playing.

"And now," she began as she felt him slowly making his way back up towards her mouth, "our feature presentation."

...

Becker was underwater, in the dark, and the creature was attacking. Several tentacles were already entwined about his legs, and another reached out, ripping free his regulator. Becker struggled, thrashing and kicking, trying to extricate himself from the creature's grasp, but it continued to pull him down, deeper and deeper, farther and farther away from the shimmering lights of rescue. Even if he were to get free now, he'd never be able to make it to the surface in time. Finally, unable to hold his breath any longer, Becker gasped, his lungs filling with water...

And he awoke in a cold sweat. Or more like a warm sweat, for he felt as if a furnace were pressing against his chest. He inhaled several deep breaths, trying to slow his racing heart, and was almost relaxed, almost awake, when his still disorientated brain reminded himself that his legs remained entangled with the creature. With another surge of adrenaline, he automatically kicked, trying to free himself from the vile limbs. However, instead of escaping, his legs seemed to become more entwined, caught up in some sort of fabric as well, as the furnace squeezed his hand and gave a quiet moan of displeasure.

Jess.

Becker gave a sigh of relief as he awoke fully, remembering where he was, who was in his arms, and how exactly they'd gotten to be so entwined. He smiled, thinking about their "role-playing" and wondering if they might do more of the same tonight. And even though they'd slept together, they hadn't "slept together", but Becker wasn't complaining.

Although he had hoped for a bit more skin-on-skin contact.

"Becker, there's no door," Jess had insisted. "I'm not taking my shirt off."

"Why not? Mine's off," he'd teased. "Besides, everyone else is asleep," he'd continued, hoping to persuade her. "No one's going to walk in on us."

"Well, yes, they're asleep NOW."

"Oh, that's right," Becker had teased. "I forgot - you're a screamer."

Jess had swatted him, not even addressing his comment but instead insisting that any of their flatmates might have a bad dream at any moment, and she didn't want her "naked chest to cause them any further nightmares". Becker had countered, suggesting that breasts that felt this good would surely only inspire happy dreams, but she'd refused to give in. However, she hadn't objected to him exploring under her pyjama top, although she'd made him promise not to go near her stomach, and since he was eager not to awaken the others, he'd agreed.

And now here they lay, entwined together in the dim morning light. He gave a sigh of contentment and gently kissed her hair as she slept in his arms.

Or so he thought...which is why he jumped when she spoke.

"Did you just kick me?" she mumbled groggily.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "Must've dreamt it."

"Liar."

Becker smiled, having known he wouldn't be able to get away with it. "Say that to my face," he challenged.

Jess laughed and rolled over. "Li-" she began, but he stopped her with a kiss. It wasn't as heated as the ones last night, but it was a nice way to wake up.

But when Jess pulled away, she was full of apologies. "Sorry - morning breath."

Becker shook his head. "I didn't even notice," he said, leaning back in to kiss her again.

"I didn't mean me," she said with a grin.

"Oh, well, I see how it's going to be," he said, starting to roll away from her.

"I'm kidding," she insisted, and he turned back to her with another kiss.

As their lips parted, he gave her a tender smile. "You know," he began, "I think I figured out your problem." Jess frowned, and he quickly went on, "I mean, why you get so cold when you sleep."

"Oh yes?"

Becker nodded. "Because you generate heat like a furnace, leaving no heat for yourself. Whereas I, on the other hand, am DYING here." He threw back the quilt, allowing refreshingly cool air to rush over him...as Jess shivered and snuggled even closer.

"Now THERE you are!"

Becker jumped as Abby's head suddenly peered under the table.

"You do know how late it is, right?" she asked with a knowing look.

Becker quickly looked at his watch and gave a frustrated sigh. "Dammit!" He'd once again forgotten to reset his alarm.

"I'm late? Again?" Jess sat up quickly, crashing her head into the tabletop.

"Careful!" Becker said, reaching over to give her a comforting pat.

"I don't have time to be careful," she insisted as she frantically scooted out from under the table, hopped to her feet, and bolted out of the room.

"Oh, hey, Jess," Becker heard Connor greet before Jess could be heard scampering up towards her bedroom.

Becker got up as well, and Connor seemed surprised when the soldier emerged from behind the wall of boxes. "Wait, was you in there all night?"

Becker merely nodded, heading for his kit in the far corner of the front room.

"So I was the only one sleeping out here last night?" Connor asked as he realised the implications. "Abby, we could've slept together."

"We'll discuss it in the car," Abby said, shooing him towards the stairs. She then popped her head back around the corner, letting Becker know, "FYI, Emily's riding in with us."

Unfortunately this was just the cold shower he needed. The mere mention of Emily's name instantly brought back the unpleasant memories of what she'd told them last night...and a reminder of what he must do this morning.

...

to be continued


	26. Ch 26 DANGEROUS DIRECTIONS

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 26 - DANGEROUS DIRECTIONS

...

Something had put Becker in a foul mood in the five minutes it'd taken Jess to get dressed upstairs, and it only got worse when he remembered his car was still back at the restaurant. He was now sat in the passenger seat, impatiently tapping his foot, clearly annoyed the she wasn't speeding the way he always did - heaven forbid she actually follow the speed limits! Of course, his temper was making her nervous, not only about her driving but about, well, everything.

"Hey," he suddenly exclaimed. "You missed the turn." The first words he'd spoken since getting in the car.

"We don't have time to stop for coffee this morning," she hastily explained. She'd been late three times in as many shifts, which was possibly more than she'd been late for anything, ever, in her entire life. Her entire schedule was completely off, and it wasn't just hers - the morning schedule she'd made for the flat had slowly been crumbling a little each day, with simple tasks falling by the wayside, such that Connor's coffee hadn't even been made this morning. If everything had gone as planned, if the coffee had been brewed on schedule, the heavenly aroma probably would've gotten them out of bed - and thus off to work - earlier.

Not that she begrudged lying in with Becker this morning - that had been lovely. But the price they were now paying - with him so grumpy and her out of sorts - didn't seem quite worth it.

But maybe it wasn't just the lateness that had him upset. She knew he'd been disappointed last night, but she'd felt far too self-conscious to take her shirt off. Although she mainly felt safe and hidden in the cave-like bed he'd managed to make for them, when it came to getting naked, she couldn't help but feel exposed. And after all that talk at dinner, about Connor and Abby's "marital relations" and such, the last thing she wanted was for one of her flatmates to walk in on them - Jess simply hadn't felt like risking it.

But clearly Becker had. And clearly he was now upset.

"Are you mad at me?" she blurted out.

Becker turned and gave her a strange look. "For what? Not stopping to get your coffee? Why should I care? You're the one who's picky, not me."

Jess shook her head. "No," she said, "about...last night. Are you upset that...?"

"Yes, of course I'm upset, Jess," he snapped. "What do you expect?"

"I'm sorry," Jess said, feeling terrible. "I just... with no door, and so many people in the flat, I simply didn't feel-"

Becker cut her off with a confused, "What are you talking about?"

Jess paused, suddenly feeling even more unsure. "Well...what are YOU talking about?"

"Matt, of course. I can't believe... I mean, what the hell is his problem? Why is he keeping things from us?" Becker shook his head angrily, slamming his palm against the closed glove box. "I don't know what I'm going to say to him. I know what I'd LIKE to say but..." He gave a frustrated sigh as he added, "I keep trying to remind myself that it's probably not in my best interest to punch my commanding officer."

Jess nodded absently, although she wasn't much listening - she was just relieved that his anger wasn't directed at her after all. The car again descended into a tense silence, but this time around Jess wasn't worried.

Though perhaps she should've been, for less than a half hour after arriving at work, Lester rang her at the hub, ordering her to gather the senior staff in his office. These meetings were never a good thing - in fact, they'd found out about the Minister's orders for the Olympics at the last one - so Jess instantly began worrying and had managed to work herself into a total state by the time she entered the office. Becker was already there, and Abby, Connor, and Emily soon joined them. Jess hadn't seen Emily all morning, but her friend looked calm and self-confident, hopefully capable of keeping it together in front of Matt.

The team leader was, in fact, the last to enter, and the tension in the room instantly went through the roof the moment he stepped inside. Jess noticed that Emily didn't even acknowledge his arrival, though Matt's eyes had instantly sought her out. Jess also noticed that Becker was absently clenching and unclenching his fists, and a whole new set of worries flooded over her as she remembered his comments in the car.

"So...what's going on?" Matt asked Lester as he took a seat. "Why'd you call this meeting?"

Lester shrugged. "I didn't," he said, nodding towards Becker in the back.

Jess didn't like the sound of that.

And neither did Matt, for he shook his head and stood. "Yeah, there's work I should be doing."

But Becker stepped in front of the team leader, extending his arm out across the door, blocking the exit. "No, what you SHOULD be doing is telling us what the hell is going on."

Matt frowned and shot a look towards Emily, but she steadily met his gaze.

"I agree with Captain Becker," she stated calmly but firmly. "You are clearly upset about something, something that I believe might affect all of us, so I feel you must tell us what has got you so bothered. After all, we are a team. Certainly we can handle this - whatever it is - together, can we not?"

Wow, Jess thought. Go, Emily! This was certainly not the girl who'd stood at the hub near tears last night.

Matt gave a frustrated sigh. "I don't know," he said quietly to Emily before turning to Becker and repeating, "I don't know. Okay? I don't know if it'll affect the rest of you. I don't...really know what it all means...or even what exactly I'm supposed to do." He took a deep breath before turning to Lester. "Look, all I know is-"

And that was the precise moment that the ADD's klaxons sounded.

...

Of all the times, the alarm just HAD to sound when Matt was about to tell them what was going on. And of all the locations, the anomaly just HAD to be at the Royal Artillery Barracks, right in the middle of the Olympics. And of all the events, this just HAD to happen on the day of the Double Trap!

"Dammit!" Becker grumbled under his breath as soon as Jess read the schedule aloud over the comms. "Shotguns. That'll mean the event's outdoors."

"Sadly, yes," Jess concurred. "In fact, according to the map, the anomaly appears only about 100 metres from the stands."

"Of course!" There went the Minister's plan of keeping everything hidden from the public.

"What is Double Trap?" Emily's voice sounded through the comms. "I have not heard of such sport."

Becker was frankly surprised that Emily had joined Matt in his 4x4 - Becker wasn't sure whether it was out of habit or whether they were planning to talk on the drive.

"Me neither, Emily, so don't feel bad," Connor said from the backseat, reminding Becker that he really wished Temple would get out of the habit of riding with him!

"It's a shooting event...," Becker began.

"Well duh, we got that, mate."

Becker sighed before continuing, "...where they release two birds at once, and the shooter is only allowed two shots to bring them down."

"Birds?" Abby asked, sounding horrified.

"Not real ones," Becker quickly clarified. "Clay discs."

"Ah, 'pigeons'," Connor said, catching on. "Too bad Jenny ain't here - she'd've loved this."

Becker couldn't help but smile. That was one thing that Connor and Jess definitely had in common - they tended to see the sunny side of most situations.

Becker, however, didn't really feel this HAD a sunny side.

And neither did Matt. "Jess, any reading on what time this anomaly leads to?"

"It looks like...Early Cretaceous?"

Becker heard Abby give a slight gasp, and he glanced over to see she'd gone pale. He realised how much she'd struggled to forget about her year on the other side, and he felt bad for this sudden harsh reminder. He put a comforting hand on Abby's knee even as he realised the implications of such an anomaly - there could be any manner of deadly dinosaurs coming through!

"Hey Abby, maybe we'll run into some old mates, yeah?"

Temple's seemingly insensitive comment infuriated Becker...until he realised Abby's fiance was tenderly rubbing her shoulders from the backseat, trying, in his own way, to make light of the situation in order to soothe her.

"Becker, you're going way too fast," Jess suddenly admonished over the comms. "You need to slow down, as you're going to make a left shortly on Charlton Park Lane."

Becker gave a frustrated sigh. He couldn't believe she was now criticising his driving...and over official communications! He KNEW they should've stopped for her coffee this morning. "Jessica, I think I know how to get to the Royal Artillery Barracks."

"Not during the Games, you don't," she replied. "It's on the ORN, so there are temporary road changes in effect."

"Yes, I'm well aware of that, Jess," Becker snapped - having driven from the ARC, he was one who'd had to traverse all the Games Lanes to get to Shooters Hill.

"Then are you also aware that you just missed the turn?" Jess snapped. "Now you'll never get to the anomaly."

Becker shrugged off her concern - he knew he could simply turn on Academy and that would take him straight to...

"There are turning restrictions on Academy Road," Jess went on, as if reading his mind. "You won't be able to turn into the Barracks from there."

And as she spoke, Becker realised he'd just sped past the last turn before Woolwich Common - now there was no turning back. Slamming his palm angrily against the steering wheel, he snapped, "Why didn't you say so before, Jessica?"

"I DID! I told you where you needed to turn - I wasn't aware that giving elaborate reasons for my directions was now part of my job description."

Suddenly Connor leant forward, again putting his hand on Abby's shoulder as he asked, "Why won't Mummy and Daddy stop arguing?"

Becker rolled his eyes as Abby patted Connor's hand, pointedly saying, "Don't worry, Mummy and Daddy aren't getting a divorce. They're just both in a bit of a temper this morning and need to CALM DOWN before we get to the anomaly."

Becker knew Abby was right - being grumpy wasn't going to help them deal with this incursion. He sighed and was about to apologise to Jess when Matt's voice came over the comms.

"Okay, Jess - we seem to be approaching some kind of checkpoint."

"That means you're almost there," Jess said, sounding much calmer than she had a moment ago - perhaps she'd taken Abby's words to heart as well. "There should be a vehicle permit checkpoint where the road becomes Ha-Ha. I've tried to put word through to the guards, but you'll probably have to-"

"I am sorry," Emily interrupted, "but did you just say 'the road becomes Ha-Ha'?"

"That's its name, I'm afraid," Jess said. "Ha-Ha Road."

"A ha-ha is a kind of trench," Matt explained.

"But you don't want to continue onto Ha-Ha," Jess continued. "Once you get past the guards, you'll want to turn left onto Repository."

Becker sighed - Matt and the others were almost there, and he was now speeding up Academy. They could see the crowds in the distance, and he cursed himself for being so stubborn and not listening to Jess, as it was clear it was going to take them ages to negotiate all the Olympic pedestrian traffic ahead.

As they finally cleared the trees of Woolwich Common, the view opened up, and Connor gasped, "Blimey, what're those?"

Becker glanced from the road and was just as surprised as Connor to see the giant white tent-like buildings with large blue and red discs.

"That's the venue," Jess explained. "They built temporary structures for the indoor shooting events."

"They're so...sci-fi and...cool!" Connor said, clearly impressed. Becker had to admit that they did look almost futuristic - he hadn't realised so much work had gone into preparing for the Games.

Unfortunately he had other things to worry about at present. He could see the congestion at the intersection ahead...and unfortunately could also see that they were preventing vehicles from turning either direction.

"There are turning restrictions ahead, Becker," Jess said, once again practically reading his mind. "I'm afraid you won't be able to turn right onto Nightingale Place." At least she was being nice about it and not saying "I told you so".

Becker gave a resigned sigh. "Copy, Jess. Just tell me where to go."

Abby gave a little snicker from the passenger seat as the field coordinator efficiently started giving directions.

...

to be continued


	27. Ch 27 UP, UP & AWAY

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 27 - UP, UP AND AWAY

...

"Well? Are they there yet?" Lester asked anxiously, walking up to the hub and setting down a steaming cup in front of Jess.

She frowned. "What's this?"

"What do you think?" Lester asked sarcastically. Jess gave him a withering look, and he shrugged, explaining, "Abby thought you could use some."

Jess cringed. She still couldn't believe that she'd bickered with Becker over official channels, but uggh, he could be so irritatingly stubborn sometimes. Why couldn't he simply trust that she was giving him directions for a reason? Why'd he have to be such a...man?

However, the smell of the coffee reached her nose, and she quickly lunged for the cup and took a sip. It was from the canteen and wasn't very fresh, but it was exactly what she needed right now. She took another sip before setting it down and finally answering Lester's question.

"Matt and another vehicle are at the PVC, trying to convince the guards to let them through. It seems the Olympic security is tougher than we thought."

Lester frowned. "What about Becker and the others?"

"They'll...uh...be there shortly." Jess had finally managed to plot out a route that would get him back to where he needed to be. This time he had followed her directions without complaint, though he might not have if she'd made him cross the river again. But thankfully she'd found a way for him to loop around the north end of the barracks, and he was now speeding towards the anomaly from the opposite direction.

Lester nodded, clearly not interested in the details. "Well, keep me informed," he said before wandering back towards his office.

"Jess," Matt's voice came through the comms, "they've finally decided to let us through. Now where are we going?"

"Turn left on Repository Road," Jess said. "The anomaly should be about 200 metres ahead on your right."

Jess watched on the map as their blackboxes approached the anomaly...and then continued on.

"Stop and turn around," Jess said. "You went right past it."

"Jess, are you sure?" Matt asked, even as he started to turn the 4x4 around.

"Yeah, it should be right there on the side of the road." Jess watched as their blackboxes came to a stop directly adjacent to the anomaly. "You're right there - you should be able to see it."

"Jess, I don't see- Emily!"

"She says it is here, Matt," Emily answered back. "We should at least get out and look."

Jess heard Matt give a frustrated sigh into the comms as a door slammed. A moment later another slam was heard as Matt, no doubt, emerged from the 4x4 as well.

"You're walking straight towards it," Jess said.

"There's nothing here, Jess," Matt insisted. "All that's in front of us are trees. Are you sure it's not a glitch in the system?"

But before Jess could answer, Emily's voice came through the comms, "Look. Up there."

Jess was frustrated at not being able to see what they were seeing, but the Royal Artillery weren't exactly keen on her hacking into their CCTV feed.

"What?" Matt asked. "That pink bird? So?"

"So, look at it," Emily insisted. "That is no ordinary bird. It has claws on its wings. Might not it have come through the anomaly?"

At last, something for Jess to do! She did a quick internet search and found that there were indeed birds from the Early Cretaceous that fit that description. "Is it about the size of a sparrow? Could it maybe be an..._Iberomesornis_?" Jess asked, slowly sounding out the name.

"That would make sense," Matt concurred.

"_Ibero_-what?" Emily asked.

"_Iberomesornis_," Matt repeated. "It means 'Spanish intermediate bird'. Its fossils, found in Spain, form the missing link between the _Archaeopteryx_ of the Early Jurassic and the _Hesperonis_ of the Late Cretaceous, thus 'intermediate'."

"Then it seems Jess is correct," Emily said. "There is an anomaly here - we were simply not looking at the correct height."

Suddenly Becker's voice sounded through the comms. "Jess, we're here," he said quickly before a door was slammed and he called out, "Matt? What are we dealing with?"

"There," Matt said, and Jess could imagine him pointing.

"It's high. And tiny!" Connor commented, and Jess breathed a sigh of relief, for at least that meant no large dinosaurs were liable to come through.

"That's a good thing," Abby said, sounding relieved as well. "With it that size, we won't have to worry about-shite!" she exclaimed, and Jess could hear what sounded like the rush of many wings through the comms.

That did not bode well.

...

The moment the flock of pink birds flew through the small anomaly, which was nearly hidden in the upper branches of the tree, Becker automatically raised his EMD. But just as he pulled the trigger, releasing the first shot, Abby slapped his arm down.

"No! The fall's liable to kill them!" she insisted.

Becker frowned. "Those shotguns will DEFINITELY kill them," he said, gesturing towards the Olympic shooters in the distance.

As if to prove his point, two shots were heard, and the team all looked across the field to see two pink clouds of clay now scattering in the wind.

"Becker's right," Matt agreed. "The birds are liable to be mistaken for targets. We need to stop them NOW."

Becker set his weapon to its lowest setting and began firing shot after shot as his teammates followed suit. It felt strangely satisfying to see bird after bird fall from the sky, and Becker might've quite enjoyed the sport if he hadn't been aware of the seriousness of the situation. As was often the case, any changes they made to these creatures from the past had the potential to completely change their present. So whilst Becker was still upset with Matt and anxious to know what was going on with the bloke, he was overall rather pleased with his life at present and didn't want a shotgun blast accidentally pulverising an annoying prehistoric bird to screw up his present - nor his future - with Jess.

Unfortunately a few birds managed to escape the team's barrage and were now nearly 80 metres away, heading straight for the Olympic range. Becker took careful aim at one of them, but the bird refused to drop - clearly the EMDs could not be used at such a distance.

"They're out of range," Matt said, clearly having come to the same conclusion.

Emily, however, raised her EMD again. Matt, frowning, put his hand atop hers, attempting to lower her weapon.

"Didn't you hear me?" he asked, clearly agitated. "They're out of range - don't waste the shot."

Emily frowned. "How do you know if you do not try?"

"Because I know, yeah? I designed these weapons, so I'm well aware of how-"

But Emily had yanked her hand free of Matt's grasp and fired anyway, and a bird fell from the sky.

"Good shot!" Abby cheered.

"See?" Emily said, giving Matt a smug look. "They are not out of range."

Becker frowned and again took careful aim, but once more his shot missed the mark. Emily, however, repeated her previous success as yet another bird dropped to the ground. Her hits proved that the weapons were capable of firing that far, so why wasn't Becker able to hit them?

"It's gravity!" Connor exclaimed. "Or, more precisely, lack thereof!"

Becker rolled his eyes - the last thing he was in the mood for was another of Temple's scientific monologues.

But Connor didn't seem to notice the soldier's annoyance and blithely went on. "The EMDs don't shoot projectiles, so they're not affected by gravity - they actually fire along a straight line instead of parabolic motion. You lot with military training are automatically correcting for gravity, just as you would with a real gun, so the shot's sailing right above them, making them appear out-of-range. But they're not - Emily's proved it. You just have to adjust your aim."

His explanation actually made a bit of sense, so Becker raised his EMD and took aim again, this time lower, directly at the bird. Pulling the trigger, he was pleased to see the pink creature immediately drop to the ground.

In the meantime, Emily had felled the last two birds, dropping them only a few metres behind the bunker from which the birds - the clay birds, that is - were being thrown.

"Good work, everyone," Matt praised in general, though Becker sensed the team leader was reluctant to individually give Emily her due.

Becker, however, was relieved that they'd managed to stop the birds, although that feeling didn't last long. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Abby start to bolt out onto the field. He grabbed her arm, ordering, "Abby, wait."

"We need to see if they're alive," she insisted, trying to wrest her arm free.

"Not at the risk of our own lives," Matt said, backing up Becker. "The best shooters in the world are nearby - we can't risk getting shot ourselves."

As if to prove his point, two shotgun blasts were heard, and they all turned to see two pink clouds of clay scattering.

"We'll retrieve them when it's safe," Becker insisted, looking Abby sternly in the eye before letting go of her arm.

"In the meantime," Matt said, turning and staring up at the tree, "we need to figure out how we're going to get them back home."

...

to be continued

_[Author's Note__: I did my research, and there is some evidence to suggest that Iberomesornis were a bright pinkish-orange, which is similar to the fluorescent pink of the clay discs used in the Olympics (and they're almost the same size!) Also, the physics idea for the EMDs was suggested by my friend and approved by my physics professor father! And to give credit where credit is due, my friend is the one who suggested that I use the line in the last chapter about "Mummy & Daddy getting a divorce" - this is why I read my stories aloud to my friends because they always give me such great ideas! And yes, all the directions (and all the turning restrictions) are accurate, including Ha-Ha Road (because I do insane research like that!)]_


	28. Ch 28 FOR THE BIRDS

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 28 - FOR THE BIRDS

...

Jess was sat at the hub, anxiously listening to Matt give out orders. He'd sent several soldiers to walk the perimeter to ensure that no other creatures had gotten past them, and he'd set Connor to modifying the locking device so it could be suspended in the tree.

"Seems all I do these days is modify the locking device," Connor grumbled through the comms, and Jess certainly felt his pain - it seemed all SHE did was simply listen to the others whilst sitting blindly at the hub.

"We'll need someone to climb into the tree," Matt's orders continued. "We should be able to rig some sort of pulley to lift the birds and suspend the locking device."

"I am happy to climb," Emily offered.

"No." Matt's answer was short and definite.

"Why not, Matt?" Emily was clearly angry, and Jess couldn't blame her. "I am perfectly capable of climbing a simple tree. How do you think we escaped from the creatures all those years? Despite what you might think, Matt, I am not simply a distraction - I am a competent member of this team."

"Emily, I know that."

"Then why not let me do this?"

"Because..." He lowered his voice, no doubt to speak to her privately, but the VOX still registered his speech, allowing Jess to hear his words. "This is not about whether or not you can climb. You have...other skills. I need you on the ground - we can't let any birds get away from us, yeah?"

Emily didn't reply aloud, but Jess could easily imagine her friend's proud smile. Clearly her shooting prowess had impressed Matt, so he wasn't being quite the ass that he seemed. Jess was pleased that, whatever was going on with him, he was at least starting to mend one fence.

"If you want," Abby began, "I can climb."

"No, Abby, we need you to look after the birds once we start bringing them in from the field."

There followed a brief pause before Becker gave a resigned sigh through the comms, and Jess instantly recognised what that meant.

"Be careful, Becker," she blurted out, momentarily forgetting herself.

"And Jess," Matt said, as if suddenly reminded of her presence, "I need you to watch and let us know when the field is clear so we can safely go retrieve the birds. I doubt anyone would hit us all the way off to the side here, but I don't want to take any chances."

"Watch?" Jess repeated. "But I can't. There's no CCTV- oh!" she exclaimed as she finally caught on. "The Games!" She quickly searched the web for the Double Trap event, feeling stupid that it hadn't occurred to her before now.

She eventually found the live feed and could see the shooters competing, standing in three semi-circles in front of the purple spectator stands, taking turns shooting at the pink discs being thrown in front of a high green net in the distance. Every time the camera view looked west, Jess strained her eyes, attempting to see the team in the distance. Unfortunately for her - but fortunately for the continued low profile of the ARC - she couldn't make them out, which meant she was still blind to their activities, but she could at least follow what was going on event-wise.

"According to the announcer, each of the three qualifying rounds consists of 25 doubles," Jess announced over the comms. "It sounds like they are nearly through with this first round."

"Understood, Jess," Matt acknowledged. "Keep us apprised."

Jess was glad to have something to do, though it wasn't exactly the most relaxing job. Even though each competitor said "Pull" before the birds were released, Jess still flinched every time the competitors fired, their loud shots reverberating through Ops.

"Is everything okay?" Lester asked, rushing over after one such pair of shots, obviously alarmed.

"They're fine - it's just the event," Jess quickly explained.

"Oh good," Lester said, clearly relieved. "So how are we doing?"

"Well, they're still waiting for this round to be over before they risk going to retrieve the birds from the field, but Becker's up the tree and Connor's working on-"

"Yes, yes," Lester said, clearly agitated, "I meant Team GB. Is Peter Wilson still on track for winning the gold?"

"I believe so," Jess said, flinching as yet another pair of shots was heard. "I think he's only missed one or two so far."

Lester nodded. "Good, good." He started to walk away, calling back, "And just remind Becker that, until the Olympics are over, breaking his neck is no excuse for missing work."

Jess rolled her eyes as the announcer declared the end of the first qualifying round.

...

Everything about this anomaly had simply been beyond the pale.

First off, it was beyond embarrassing to have had Emily out-shoot him, however, knowing that it was precisely because she lacked military training with REAL weapons that made her so successful with the EMDs helped Becker to deal. It was also beyond annoying to have had spent the majority of his morning up a tree, but at least recognising that Matt's insistence on safety - and the carabiner attached to his belt - had probably saved his life made the whole experience bearable. But after all that, to have Abby insist on taking one of those loathsome creatures back to the ARC with her was simply beyond disgusting.

"That's not riding with me," he insisted when he saw her about to climb into the 4x4.

"Becker, its wing is broken. I have to take it back to the menagerie so it can heal."

Becker rolled his eyes. "Why not simply let it heal back in its own time?"

But Abby glared at the soldier, as if he'd just suggested they eat the creature. "There's no way I'm putting an injured bird back into the Cretaceous," she insisted before adding quietly, "It would never stand a chance."

Becker saw the look in her eyes and realised there was no way he was winning this battle. For Abby, this was personal She knew what a defenceless creature's chances would be in that era for she had been one herself. Becker therefore understood the sentiment behind her altruistic endeavours...but he still didn't understand why she had to keep the nasty thing in the front seat with her. And being injured, it naturally wouldn't sit still, instead thrashing and flailing in a constant maelstrom of feathers, feet, and beak.

"You don't like birds much, do you, mate?" Connor asked from the backseat as Becker once again flinched at the flurry of flapping wings. "Other than Jess, that is," he teased.

Becker rolled his eyes. He really needed to get Temple to start riding with Matt.

The bloke patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Don't worry - your secret's safe with us. Besides, we all got our issues."

"It's NOT an 'issue'," Becker insisted, annoyed with Temple's psychobabble. And he might've made his point, too, had the revolting thing in Abby's lap not chosen that moment to become a tumultuous flutter of plumage, causing Becker to start, swerving the 4x4 dangerously close to the kerb.

"All right - fear, then," Connor corrected, and Becker merely heaved a heavy sigh, not even bothering to object, knowing that Temple had his number.

Abby, having momentarily quieted the bird, finally caught up with the conversation. "You're afraid of birds, Becker?"

The soldier rolled his eyes. It wasn't so much "afraid" as repulsed by their turbulence and bustle, but he didn't feel like discussing it.

"You should've said something," Abby said. "We could've ridden with Matt and Emily instead."

Becker gave a frustrated sigh - he couldn't believe he'd missed his one chance to get Temple out of his car.

Though perhaps not.

"No way," Connor insisted. "Not today, anyway. I imagine tension in that car is running mighty high right now."

That's right, Becker thought. The row last night - and the interrupted meeting this morning - had been all but forgotten, thanks to the incursion, but now the memories came flooding back. Becker realised they would need to corner Matt as soon as they got back to the ARC and get him to tell them precisely what was going on.

Upon their arrival, though, Jess had other ideas.

"Becker, you're hurt!" she exclaimed, tenderly touching the wounds across his cheek and forehead. "What happened?" She instantly frowned, quickly amending, "Never mind. I don't need to know. But what I DO need is to get you to medical."

"Jess, I'm fine," he insisted. The scratches from the clawed wings of the creatures, who weren't exactly excited about being shoved back through the anomaly, were nothing compared to the trauma of having been in such close proximity to the horrid flapping beasts in the first place.

But Jess shook her head. "Who knows what prehistoric germs they might've passed on to you. We need to disinfect-"

"Becker. Jess." Lester called out from his office door, nodding inside to where Matt and the others had already assembled.

"Guess we'll have to clean you up later," Jess said, brushing a few stray leaves from Becker's collar as they headed across Ops together, both no doubt wondering what this meeting had in store for them.

...

to be continued


	29. Ch 29 KNOWING NEXT TO NOTHING

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 29 - KNOWING NEXT TO NOTHING

...

Much to Jess's relief, this time, as Becker shut the office door, Matt got straight to the point.

"After convergence," Matt began, "after Phillip, I got a message telling me I had to go back."

"Back where?" Abby asked.

Emily looked confused as well. "Back to the future?"

Connor snickered at the unintended reference, though Becker's glare seemed to silence him.

Matt, however, merely shook his head. "I don't know."

"But we stopped Phillip! We saved the future!" Becker roared before adding a tentative, "Didn't we?"

Matt shrugged.. "I don't know. I think so - or at least the future I knew."

Connor prompted, "But...?"

"But...maybe we messed up something in the process."

"Like what?" Abby asked.

Matt shook his head. "I don't know."

Lester gave a frustrated sigh. "It seems you don't know much."

"Look," Matt said, "I'm telling you everything I know. But...yeah, it's not much."

"But why only now?" Emily asked. "Why not simply tell us at the time?"

"Because...," Matt said, turning and looking meaningfully at Emily, "I guess...I didn't want it to be true. We'd just stopped Phillip - I wanted that to be it. I didn't want to think about leaving. So...I didn't. I tried to put it out of my head, to just celebrate what we'd managed to achieve. And then, as more time passed, the less real it all became, like it was just some bad dream. Things were good here, so I let myself become..."

"Distracted," Emily finished for him matter-of-factly.

Yet despite the lack of bitterness in her voice, Matt still looked pained. He took Emily's hand, pleading, "I'm sorry, yeah? I never should've said that. I just... it was easier to blame you than myself, I guess.

Emily nodded. "I understand." She then took what appeared to be a steeling breath before asking, "So...what is to be done now?"

Matt shrugged. "I don't know. Part of how I rationalised putting it on the back burner was that there didn't seem to be anything TO do. I couldn't very well go back until an anomaly opened up."

"So that's why you were so upset the other day," Becker said, stating aloud the same conclusion the others were all drawing.

Matt nodded. "When I learnt I hadn't been informed, I was gutted. It could've been my one chance, and I'd missed it. Luckily that wasn't the case, but it WAS just the wake-up call I needed. It made me realise I hadn't been vigilant enough, that I couldn't afford to miss any opportunity to fix things."

"But you haven't, yeah?" Abby asked. "Not yet, anyway. There haven't been any anomalies to the future that you missed."

"There haven't been any anomalies to the future, full stop," Connor pointed out. "Not since convergence, anyway."

Lester looked to him, asking, "So what do you think that means?"

Connor shrugged. "Beats me. Hadn't given it much thought, to be honest. I mean, as far as I'm concerned, I'd just as soon NEVER come face to face with another future predator if I don't have to."

"I won't argue that," Lester agreed.

A chill went down Jess's spine at the thought. She'd said nothing so far, merely sitting quietly and letting the others talk. She couldn't believe what Matt was telling them - and what he WASN'T telling them - and she wondered why no one else seemed curious about that.

"So where does that leave us?" Becker asked impatiently, obviously anxious to do something rather than continue to sit around.

"Waiting, I guess," Matt said with a shrug. "I mean, I don't know what else can be done."

"I suppose you're right, Matt," Lester said. "But listen, you mustn't forget that we are a team. Whatever you have to face, you won't have to face it alone. If an anomaly opens, we'll do whatever you need us to do."

Becker nodded. "Even if it means going back with you."

Jess was shocked by this sudden about-face regarding the anomalies, and obviously so was Abby, for she blurted out, "But Becker, what about the Rules?"

Jess could see the conflict on the soldier's face. She knew how much the Rules meant to him - and why they'd been instituted in the first place. But she also knew he would much rather do something than stand idly by waiting. He seemed at war with himself over this issue as he struggled to come up with a reply. Jess hated to see him suffer, so she decided to come to his rescue by changing the subject.

"So I have a question," she began, mystified as to why no one had yet asked it. "What EXACTLY was the message?"

Becker rolled his eyes and Lester gave a frustrated sigh as Matt turned to her, explaining, "I told you - I'm supposed to go back."

"Yes, I get that," Jess said before quickly clarifying, "But what I mean is how did you receive this message? By phone? Email? Letter?"

"Carrier _ Iberomesornis_?" Connor joked.

Ignoring him, Jess continued, "How can you even be sure the messenger was telling you the truth?"

"He was," Matt said simply, "because...he was me."

After a brief, confused silence, Emily asked, "Pardon?" clearly speaking for everyone in the room.

"I got the message from me," Matt repeated, which was hardly edifying.

"You mean, like, in a dream or something?" Abby asked.

Matt shook his head. "No. I... HE was here - another me, here in the ARC, right after convergence - and he told me I had to go back."

Of all the possibilities, Jess had not even imagined that one. And she could tell the others were just as surprised, for the room sank into a stunned silence.

Connor, it seemed, was the first to recover. "That...is so freaking cool!"

Abby rolled her eyes. "Connor."

"No, I mean it. Just think about it. We've been dealing with doorways in time for, what, years now? Yet none of us has ever run into ourselves from another time before."

"I did not know that was even possible," Emily said.

"Neither did I," Matt admitted. "But it is, because that's what I saw."

"So where is he?" Becker demanded. "This...other you? Where'd he go? Did he, what, simply give you the message and conveniently disappear?"

Matt shook his head. "I'm afraid it's more like I disappeared." After everyone's confused looks, he explained, "There was that anomaly - the train at King's Cross - so I couldn't stay and find out more. And by the time we got back, he was gone."

"He was here, you say?" Lester asked. "In the ARC?" Matt nodded, and their boss continued, "But how did he-?" before waving it aside. "Don't tell me - you don't know."

Matt simply nodded. And hearing Becker give a frustrated sigh, Jess felt like heaving one of her own.

...

Becker didn't know how the hell he was supposed to concentrate on writing his incident report about the morning's incursion when all he could think about was Matt's bombshell. What did it all mean? And why wasn't anyone stating the obvious? Unfortunately, Matt hadn't even been around most of the afternoon for Becker to try to get additional information out of him. The only good thing was that, with his mind so occupied, the afternoon flew by, and before Becker knew it, he was back in Jess's car, heading to the restaurant to retrieve his.

"So how was your afternoon?" Jess asked as the car crawled along at a snail's pace.

"How do you think it was?" he snapped impatiently before realising that he shouldn't take his grumpy mood out on her.

But instead of getting upset with him, she seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "Oh good, I'm glad I'm not the only one who's been worrying about it."

"Of course you're not. How can anyone not worry when there may be another of Helen's clones out there?"

Jess turned and gave him a blank stare. "Helen? I was talking about Matt."

"Yeah, so was I."

After a pause, Jess said, "Oh. So you think what Matt saw wasn't really him but a clone that Helen made?"

Becker nodded. "Isn't EVERYONE thinking that?"

Jess shook her head. "That hadn't even occurred to me."

Becker gave a frustrated sigh. And the fact that he could probably run faster than Jess was driving wasn't exactly improving his mood. "So then what are YOU worried about?"

"He - this...other Matt - was in the ARC, right after convergence. How did he get there? I can only imagine that he came through the anomaly with the predators, but then he must've been there when Lester and I were..." Jess shivered, clearly disturbed by the idea. "It creeps me out that someone else might've been there yet didn't do anything to help us."

"Exactly," Becker said. "So it can't have been Matt. No matter the ass he's been acting the last few days, he wouldn't do that, wouldn't just sit by and do nothing when there were predators."

"Unless he couldn't," Jess suggested. "Unless, being from the future, he knew he couldn't change anything in our time without messing up his."

"So then why give Matt the message at all? And if his time's so awful anyway, why NOT change ours? It couldn't hurt, right?"

Becker felt the most disturbing part of all this, besides the idea that Helen was once again still plotting from beyond the grave, was that, if the message WERE true, then they HADN'T fixed the future. And they'd fought so hard to do so. So what had gone wrong? Was the future still terrible the way it had been, or terrible in a NEW way? And how were they to know if what they were doing now wouldn't make it worse?

Jess gave a frustrated sigh. "All this is making my head hurt." She then frowned, turning to Becker. "Speaking of, how's yours? Did you ever get your scratches disinfected?"

"I'll be fine, Jess," he said, not wanting her to worry by telling her the truth, that he'd been so consumed with this Matt business, not to mention his incident report, that he'd never made it to medical. But what difference would a few hours make, since he'd take care of his wounds as soon as they got back to Jess's flat?

IF they ever got back.

"Jess, you do know the accelerator is on the right, yes?" he said, his nerves on edge from all this business with Matt.

"The speed limit's 20," she snapped back, clearly out of sorts as well.

"So why are you going 8?" Becker asked sarcastically.

"If you must know, I'm going 24! Which, technically, is breaking the law, so stop giving me grief!"

Becker was convinced this snail's pace couldn't possibly be over 20, so he leant over to take a look at the speedometer.

"You don't believe me?" Jess asked, clearly upset.

Of course he hadn't, and of course he'd just now confirmed to himself that she was actually going closer to 26. So he said the only thing he COULD say. "Of course I believed you."

She gave him a look, clearly not believing him. "Uh-huh," she replied sarcastically. "Sure."

"I did," he insisted, realising he must try to make it up to her later.

...

to be continued


	30. Ch 30 WONDERING & WORRYING

Let the Games Begin

...

_[A/N: Since everyone was so upset with Becker after the last chapter, I figured I better get this posted sooner rather than later :)]_

...

Chapter 30 - WONDERING & WORRYING

...

Jess couldn't believe she made it back to the flat before Becker. He'd been in such a temper, she figured he'd speed all the way, perhaps even making it home before the others as well. But only Abby, Connor, and Lester were there when she arrived.

"Hey," she greeted, trying to sound cheerful, but everyone else looked upset as well. She took a seat on the sofa, asking, "So...what should we do tonight?"

Connor shrugged. "You mean BESIDES obsessing about what Matt told us?"

Lester nodded. "Looks like my theory might've been correct after all."

"Theory?" Jess asked.

He pointed to his temple, explaining, "Clinically mad."

Abby shook her head. "You can't really think that, after all we've been through."

"Yeah," Connor agreed. "I mean, after what we've seen, nothing really sounds that mad anymore."

Lester, however, didn't look convinced, and Jess felt she must speak up on Matt's behalf. "I think we can trust Matt."

"You think we can trust everyone."

Jess turned to see Becker, who had entered and was just opening the refrigerator. She frowned, not so much at his comment but at his suspicious look. "What're you doing?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said, quickly closing the door, but Jess hopped to her feet and hurried over to him.

"Did you put something in there?" she asked, trying to reopen the fridge, but Becker blocked her.

"No."

But if not, why was he fighting her? "Let me see."

"It's a surprise," he said, lowering his voice to whisper in her ear, "a bedtime surprise."

Jess could feel her cheeks growing warm as he gave her a quick peck before walking on into the front room, asking, "So I take it we're discussing Matt's clone?"

"Clone?" Abby repeated, surprised, and Jess was relieved that she wasn't the only person who thought Becker's theory was rubbish.

"I thought of that as well," Lester said. "It'd make sense."

"No!" Connor said heatedly, obviously very sensitive about this subject. "Helen's dead - Danny saw her die long before Matt even started at the ARC."

"Yeah, millions of years before Matt started," Becker pointed out. "Yet she got the cloning technology from the future, yeah? She jumped from time zone to time zone for, what, ten years? Who's to say that she didn't meet Matt at some future point, clone him, and send him back here?"

Jess frowned - trying to make sense of all this time travel stuff always made her head spin.

Abby shook her head. "But per Matt, this wasn't some emotionless drone."

"Per Matt," Becker repeated with some disdain, "this bloke said one thing and then disappeared. We don't know anything more."

"Exactly," Jess joined in quickly, "so let's not jump to any hasty conclusions. I think we should take Matt at his word, until we have reason to think otherwise, yeah?"

Abby nodded. "I agree with Jess. Besides, there's not much we can do about any of this unless and until a future anomaly opens up."

"Or we run into this other Matt," Lester pointed out.

Becker glanced about. "Speaking of, where's OUR Matt?"

Connor shook his head. "He and Emily ain't home yet."

"Can you BLAME him?" Abby asked, gesturing towards them all. "Would YOU be in a hurry to come home to this pack of hyaenas out for blood?"

Jess agreed - even SHE felt uncomfortable, and she wasn't the one under the microscope.

"I don't want blood," Becker clarified. "I just want answers."

Abby nodded. "We all do. But I simply don't think he has any."

Unfortunately, Jess figured she was probably right.

...

They spent an uncomfortable evening in front of the telly, despite watching Team GB win their round of Mixed Doubles and their Hockey match against Belgium. It was clear, however, that no one was really paying attention to the Games, as they were all still thinking about Matt, who had yet to arrive home. Becker was at least somewhat distracted by Jess, who'd offered to sit on the floor and give him another foot rub, no doubt to give her own mind something to concentrate on. He decided to return the favour by massaging her shoulders, which she enjoyed so much that she forgot to rub his feet. He didn't mind, however, for she clearly needed the massage more than he did - her muscles were in tense knots, a clear indication of how much she'd been worrying all day.

At 2200, Jess stretched and started to stand. "Since we're working a double shift tomorrow, we should probably think about bed."

"A double shift?" Connor repeated, surprised.

"Connor, you knew that," Abby said.

"I did?"

"Yes," Abby said. "Remember? Jess had to change the schedule so we could work days."

Becker noticed Jess's guilty look, knowing she'd scheduled them for extra shifts this weekend simply because she felt bad that they weren't working any more nights.

As everyone began to disperse, Becker stopped Jess before she reached the stairs. "Don't forget - I've a surprise for you."

Jess, however, frowned, which wasn't exactly the response he'd been hoping for.

"Becker, it's late," she said.

"It's not THAT late," he pointed out, reaching out and starting to massage her shoulders again. She seemed to melt under his touch, and he could see she was starting to change her mind, so he whispered in her ear, "It involves chocolate."

Jess laughed. "Am I that easy?"

Becker grinned. "I hope so." He watched with pleasure as her cheeks reddened before he leant in to kiss her.

However, the front door opening down below caused Jess to pull away from his embrace, greeting Matt and Emily as they climbed the stairs. "Hello. I hope you two had a...pleasant evening."

Emily nodded. "We stayed on at the ARC." She then frowned as she asked, "We did not worry you, I hope."

Jess shook her head emphatically. "Not at all. We...assumed you'd be back late." She gestured to the now empty front room, explaining, "We were all just heading to bed. We've a long day tomorrow - a double shift, in case you've forgotten," she added hastily.

Becker sighed impatiently and rolled his eyes. He wished Jess would stop being polite so that they could get to bed.

Emily nodded. "Yes, I remember. We had best get our rest, then. I shall...see you all in the morning. Goodnight," she said, giving them a pleasant smile before heading upstairs.

"I'll be up presently," Jess called after her.

Becker didn't like the sound of that, but he waited till Emily was gone, and Matt was off in the his corner, before asking, "You're sleeping with me tonight, yeah?"

Jess shook her head. "I can't." She glanced nervously towards Matt before leaning in close and whispering, "You heard Emily - I can't simply leave her hanging."

Becker had no idea what she was talking about - he hadn't heard Emily say anything that needed a reply. He sometimes wondered if women had their own secret language that only they understood. "But...what about your surprise?" he asked, hoping to persuade her.

"Surely it can wait till tomorrow, yeah?" Becker gave a frustrated sigh, and she quickly apologised, "I'm sorry, but Emily needs me." She leant in to give him a quick peck, but he drew her close, turning it into a proper kiss.

When their lips parted, he made one final attempt, whispering seductively in her ear, "Chocolate."

Jess shook her head. "Tomorrow, I promise." Looking up at him, she frowned and reached up to touch his cheek. "Don't forget to put ointment on your scratches, yeah? They're looking awfully red."

Becker gave a frustrated sigh. The scratches were just a reminder of the rotten morning he'd spent, followed by a rotten afternoon. And now he was going to bed by himself, after he'd specifically bought a chocolate souffle to share between them. But perhaps he could use his wounds to get what he wanted. "You could always kiss them and make them better?"

Jess, however, merely gave an amused smile. "Nice try," she said, giving him a quick peck before saying, "See you in the morning," and hurrying upstairs.

Becker frowned as he glanced across the room. This was just what he needed - another reason to be angry with Matt. Becker turned and stomped into the box-covered dining room. He'd been looking forward to clearing his head with a proper snog, but once again Matt had ruined everything. It was one thing to drop a bombshell about a clone saying the future was rubbish, but it was quite another to prevent Becker from sleeping with Jess!

The soldier changed into his pyjama bottoms, slamming everything around like a petulant child. He was just about to crawl into the bed he'd made under the table when he heard someone on the stairs, and he hurried out from behind the boxes, hoping that perhaps Jess had changed her mind. Unfortunately it was only Connor, galloping down the stairs clad only in his boxers.

"Hey," Temple greeted, smiling warmly at the soldier. "So, Jess joining you in your man-cave again tonight?"

Becker growled, wishing there were a door so he could slam it!

...

to be continued


	31. Ch 31 MUTUAL DISTRACTIONS

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 31 - MUTUAL DISTRACTIONS

...

Jess felt bad about abandoning Becker, but there would be plenty of time for snogging later. Clearly Emily needed to talk, and Jess felt she should be there for her friend.

When she got upstairs, she heard Connor and Abby having a minor disagreement in the toilet.

"No, Connor. Don't. Tomorrow night Lester will be gone-"

"You sure?"

"Yes, I already asked. We'll have our own room to ourselves all weekend, so PLEASE don't make a fuss tonight, yeah?"

Jess smiled and hurried on into her bedroom - it seemed none of the boys would be getting their way tonight.

Emily looked surprised when Jess entered. "You're not...sleeping downstairs tonight?" she asked.

Jess shook her head as she got out her pyjamas. "I thought I'd sleep with you," she said simply, but Emily clearly understood for she gave a grateful smile.

Abby entered soon thereafter, and the three girls dressed for bed. As Jess pulled back the duvet and crawled into the middle, she smiled to herself - it seemed she'd almost forgotten what it was like to sleep alone, and she wondered how empty her bed would feel when the Olympics were over. Her bedmates climbed in after her, and soon the lights were off.

"So," Jess began hesitantly, "Emily...how was your evening?"

Jess saw her friend shrug in the darkness. "As well as can be expected, I imagine."

"How's Matt?" Abby asked.

"He has had more time to sort this out than the rest of us," Emily replied, adding softly under her breath, "although that time, it seems, has not helped much."

Jess frowned. "What do you mean?"

"All this time - ever since Convergence - Matt has held himself...apart. Distant. As if he were afraid to get too...close."

"That's understandable," Abby replied. "I mean, if he thought he was leaving, he probably didn't want to create ties that would make him want to stay."

"But...you two seem so cosy," Jess blurted out. "Inseparable almost. You practically do everything together."

"As...friends, yes," Emily said, and Jess could hear the disappointment in her friend's voice. "We are both essentially foreigners to this time, so we naturally formed a bond based upon that common experience."

"But...?" Abby prompted.

"But...when I first came to this time, I thought I sensed...something more from him. A...fondness. As if I meant more than simply a dear friend. And then when he suddenly appeared in my time, I was certain he..." She trailed off before starting again, "But then things happened so quickly, with Phillip and Convergence, and afterwards he suddenly seemed...as I said, distant, uninterested, so I thought perhaps I had merely imagined his...attraction."

"You did NOT imagine it," Abby said. "Believe me, he pined for you when you were gone. And I saw the way he gazed at you at Jenny's wedding - that was NOT just a chummy look in his eyes."

Jess saw Emily grin in the darkness as she admitted, "I imagine I gazed at him much the same way." She sighed, adding, "Not that it matters any longer."

"What do you mean?" Jess asked.

"I now know that Matt shall be leaving," Emily stated matter-of-factly, "so there seems to be no point in pursuing anything further."

"Emily, you can't say that," Abby insisted. "We have no idea when the next anomaly to the future might be. It could be tomorrow... but it could be fifty years from now. We simply don't know. And there's no reason for you to put your life on hold for something that may not happen for a lifetime."

"But if it DOES happen," Emily began, "if an anomaly does open and he must go..." Emily took a steeling breath before continuing, "I do not want to be what is standing in his way."

The room descended into silence. Although she hadn't spoken the word aloud, it was still hanging uncomfortably in the air. Finally, Jess simply had to address it. "Emily, you are NOT a distraction."

"But I AM," Emily insisted. "Do you not see? We all are. Every friendship affects what he does...what we ALL do. Think about it. Can you honestly say that the way you feel about Becker, or Connor, or even me does not affect how you do your job?"

Jess had never thought about it that way before, but Emily was right. Knowing it was her friends, her flatmates, out on a call did change how she worked. In essence, they WERE all mutual distractions...though Jess wasn't entirely convinced that was a bad thing.

Clearly Abby didn't think it was. "But fighting for those you care for is a boon, not a hindrance. Connor and I never would've survived in the Cretaceous if we hadn't had each other to survive FOR as well as with. And Jess, you had the courage to defuse a bomb, which easily could've killed you, all because you didn't want to see Becker hurt. Having people we care for, people we'll fight for, people we'll die for, can only make us stronger.

"Besides," Abby went on, "as Lester said today, we're a team. Matt doesn't need to face this alone, and when the time comes - IF that time comes - we'll all be there for him. That's what teams do - they work together, they look after each other, they're actually stronger than the sum of their parts. So don't hold back, Emily, simply you don't want make things more difficult for Matt."

The words settled in the darkness, and Jess felt a sense of pride at Abby's passionate speech.

But after a pause, Emily's voice sounded softly. "I am afraid my intentions are not quite so noble. Not entirely, anyway," she practically whispered into the dark. "It is not only that I wish to make Matt's decision to leave, when the time comes, that much easier; it is more that...I wish to make it less painful for myself when I must lose him."

Sadly, neither Abby nor Jess had an answer for that.

...

Becker had a hard time falling asleep. He'd only really slept with Jess one night, yet he already missed her. He suddenly had much more sympathy for why Temple had been acting like such a prat lately, for Becker might've behaved much the same way if he'd thought he could've convince Jess to stay.

Instead here he was, alone, stuck with his thoughts about Matt. Abby was right - there wasn't much to be done until a future anomaly opened, but Becker was still angry that Matt had waited till now to tell them. It was a question of trust, and Matt had betrayed the entire team by keeping this from them. And it wasn't the first time he'd done such a thing, which bothered Becker even more - how was he supposed to blindly follow his team leader when he couldn't even trust him?

Becker eventually fell asleep after remembering to reset his watch alarm. He knew he needed to run in the morning to clear his head...and oversleeping when Jess wasn't in his arms just wasn't as much fun. After a restless night, he was relieved when his alarm finally went off. He got up and dressed and emerged from behind the boxes just in time to startle Matt, who was starting to head out as well.

"You sleep in there?" Matt asked, nodding towards the wall of boxes.

Becker nodded. "Yeah."

Matt gave him an inquiring look. "Alone?"

"Yes!" Becker snapped, and Matt instantly lay off his interrogation.

The two men descended the stairs together and started their run. As their trainers slapped side by side atop the pavement, all Becker's frustrations from the last two days started to replay through his head. He'd missed out on his dinner date because of Matt. He'd found out Matt had behaved like an ass when it came to Emily. He'd been forced by Matt to climb a tree and deal with those nasty, flapping horrors. And after all that, THEN he'd discovered the truths that Matt had been hiding.

It wasn't until Matt grabbed his elbow, insisting, "Becker, stop," that the soldier even realised he'd been nearly sprinting.

As the two men paused to catch their breath, Matt went on. "Look...I should've told you earlier, yeah?"

That was the understatement of the century, Becker thought to himself, merely acknowledging Matt's comment with a grunt.

Matt said nothing more, which just further angered Becker. Didn't Matt at least owe them some sort of apology, a justification, a valid reason to ever trust him again? Becker felt the sudden need to strike out at Matt, yet it somehow felt too early in the morning for fisticuffs. Instead he merely raised an eyebrow, spitefully responding to Matt's question with one of his own: "Emily tell you that, did she?"

From the look on Matt's face, Becker realised a punch would've hurt the bloke less. Becker felt a wave of guilt wash over him, and he decided they'd both feel better if they resumed their run. "C'mon," he said, nodding down the street, and the two began again at a slower pace. This time, however, it was Matt who gradually sped up, as if trying to outrun his own past, and before long they were nearly sprinting again.

Luckily a traffic light brought them to a stop, and they were both so winded that neither bothered to jog in place as they waited at the street corner.

Becker knew he'd crossed a line. "Sorry," he said. "That was below the belt."

But Matt shook his head. "No, you're right. After everything, I definitely owed her more than that. I just...I didn't want to hurt her, yeah?"

Becker nodded, wryly teasing his mate. "How'd that work for you?"

Matt gave a slight smile, the first one Becker had seen in days.

"A word of advice?" Becker went on, and Matt gave an eager nod, clearly willing to accept aid from any corner. "No matter what's going on, no matter what demons you're battling...never EVER call a woman a distraction."

Matt laughed. "Thanks for the tip, mate."

Becker shrugged. "It's what I'm here for."

The light changed and they ran on, keeping to a saner pace this time. Even so, they returned to Jess's flat much earlier than expected. As Matt gathered his kit for his shower, he mentioned to Becker, "You might want to have a look at those scratches, yeah? They're looking a bit red."

Becker frowned - after everything that had happened, he'd never gotten around to cleaning his wounds. He ran up the stairs two at a time and charged into the toilet. Sure enough, the scratches on his temple looked red and puffy. Becker gave a frustrated sigh and threw open the medicine cabinet, hoping to cover his wounds with plasters before Jess could see.

However, the sight that greeted him caused him to pause. The cabinet was only half full, with all the pill bottles and ointments tightly packed on the left-hand side whilst the right-hand side of each shelf remained completely blank. Becker stared at the odd arrangement, his mind trying to make sense of it. Finally it dawned on him - Abby and Connor must've already packed up most of their supplies for their move, and Jess simply hadn't allowed hers to shift into the newly freed space yet.

It was only then that it occurred to Becker that he was in JESS's medicine cabinet. One simply didn't go snooping in a girl's medicine cabinet - that ranked right up there with calling a girl a distraction! Becker instantly slammed the cabinet door, feeling guilty about having invaded her privacy.

But then he remembered why he was here. He really needed to treat his wounds and get them covered before Jess saw them. So he opened the cabinet again and luckily found a tube of Brulidine cream next to a box of plasters right on the edge of the top shelf. He pulled them out and shut the door again before taking a good look at the box. Unfortunately these were no ordinary plasters - they were brightly coloured and had cartoon-like words such as "AAARGH!", "WHAM!", and "POW!" printed across them.

Now Becker was torn. There was no way he was wearing a plaster declaring "OOOW!" across his cheek, but his alternative was opening up Jess's medicine cabinet once again. He was still staring at the box of plasters, trying to decide what to do, when a voice in the doorway made him jump.

"THERE'S my comic book plasters!" Connor said, excitedly grabbing the box from Becker. "I was looking everywhere for these. Where'd you find them?"

"Um...," Becker said, gesturing awkwardly towards the medicine cabinet.

Connor, however, frowned. "Ooh, I see why you need 'em," he said, reaching over to try and touch Becker's scratches, but the soldier ducked away. "Here, mate," Temple said, trying to hand the box back to Becker, "take as many as you need."

But the soldier shook his head. "Does Jess have any, you know, OTHER plasters?"

Connor nodded. "I think she's got some _Hello, Kitty _ones somewhere." The bloke started to open the cabinet door again but Becker stopped him.

"On second thought, I'll just stick with the comic book ones," he said, taking the box back.

"From the looks of it, you should use the ones that say 'OUCH!'"

Becker sighed, somehow feeling as if this were his punishment for not dealing with his wounds sooner.

...

to be continued


	32. Ch 32 SEARCHING & SHARING

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 32 - SEARCHING & SHARING

...

Jess knew it was going to be hard to get through the workday, especially because it was sixteen hours long. Luckily, the Olympics had loads of events, which Jess hoped would keep her coworkers entertained...and prevent them from worrying about Matt's predicament.

Early in the morning saw the first of the Athletics events, and the team gathered about the hub to watch Jessica Ennis start the heptathlon competition.

"Heptathlon means seven events, yes?" Emily had asked.

"Yeah," Jess informed everyone. "There's three running, two jumping, and two throwing."

"Running, jumping, and throwing - sounds like what we do every day," Connor joked.

Emily frowned, looking confused. "But the running is timed whilst the others are measured, yes? So how exactly does one win?"

Jess smiled, opening up a window in the corner of the monitor. "You'll like this, Connor." They all stared at the complicated exponential formulae as she explained, "They apparently take the running times in seconds, the jumping lengths in centimetres, and the throwing distances in metres and plug them into a different formula for each event to calculate the number of points earned. Then the points are tallied and voila, you have a winner."

"Neat!" Connor exclaimed, eagerly asking Jess to print out the formulae so he could do some calculations of his own. Of course, they didn't need a calculator to know that Jessica Ennis was going to score well when she broke the heptathlon world best in the 100m hurdles, running the race in only 12.54 seconds.

"My legs are tired just watching," Connor commented.

Emily nodded. "But look how graceful she is."

"And with long legs like that, you'd think she'd be tall," Jess said, "but she's only 165cm."

Connor patted Abby on the back. "See, you could almost do that."

Abby laughed. "No, I don't think so."

"Speaking of heights," Jess pointed out, "did you know the median height for the top finishers in women's gymnastics was only 152cm?"

"That's tiny!" Abby exclaimed.

Matt shrugged. "It takes all sorts."

Jess nodded. "You know, the countries that do the best in the Olympics tend to have the most racially diverse populations."

Emily nodded. "I am not surprised. Each event requires different skills and varying constitutions."

"What about the all-important skill of getting back to work?" Lester asked pointedly, and the crowd quickly dispersed. However, they returned periodically through the day, watching as Team GB won medals in three rowing events in the morning and two cycling events in the afternoon. And while Jess was enjoying the Games, for some reason she felt anxious as she watched each sport, though she wasn't cognisant of what exactly was causing her stress.

Connor, however, seemed well aware of the source. "You searching too, yeah?" he asked her in the late afternoon when the two of them were watching Team GB play Pakistan in Men's Hockey.

Jess, however, wasn't sure what he was talking about. "Searching?" she repeated blankly.

Connor nodded. "For Matt's double."

It was like a lightbulb going off in her head. Connor had it absolutely right - all day, every time the camera panned over the crowd, Jess had been frantically skimming the faces of the spectators, looking for Matt's future self. No wonder she couldn't relax and enjoy the Games - she was constantly being reminded of Matt's plight. And what was the point? It was ridiculous to think that she would happen to spot this other Matt. The Olympics were attracting half a million visitors per day, adding to the eight million people who already resided in the city - the chances were miniscule that he would even be on camera, let alone that she would spot him. After all, they hadn't even been able to spot Lester in the Equestrian crowd, and they'd known for certain he was there.

So Jess tried her best to put it out of her mind, although she knew that wasn't going to be easy.

...

Becker was relieved that Jess and the others had the Games to keep them occupied. He, on the other hand, seemed to be the poster child for the pointlessness of worrying about Matt's situation. He couldn't seem to shake the anxiety, even though he knew there was nothing to be done. But he was a doer, a fighter - he didn't like to simply sit back and wait, so this was driving him nutty.

Of course, working a double shift wasn't doing much for his sanity either. However, after the evening meal break, Jess insisted he come join the rest of the team in watching women's football. Team GB ended up losing 2-0, but it somehow felt good to be around the others, all cheering and booing together. And after the night diving incident last week he'd been doing his best to avoid watching any swimming, but Jess's enthusiasm was practically contagious when GB's Becky Adlington won the bronze in the 800m freestyle.

"Can you believe it? We're now fourth on the medal table," Jess excitedly proclaimed. "Twenty-two medals so far. Isn't that amazing?"

Becker was definitely amazed at Team GB's performance. However, he was more amazed at how everyone else had seemed to put Matt's predicament on the back burner, and he tried to do the same himself by spending the rest of his evening focussing on more positive things.

Things like Jess, for instance.

"So...you're sleeping with me tonight, yeah?" he asked, trying to sound casual, on the drive home.

"Becker, we have to be back at work in seven hours," Jess pointed out.

"Yeah?" Becker replied, not seeing how that had any bearing on where she slept.

Jess gave a sigh. "We need our sleep," she said. "And snogging is not sleep."

"We don't have to snog," Becker insisted, adding as an afterthought, "...much." Jess laughed, and he went on. "Besides, there's still your bedtime surprise from last night. Remember? Chocolate?" He could tell she was starting to give in, so he went on, "It's liable to go bad if you wait much longer."

Jess rolled her eyes. "You're mean, you know that?"

Becker smiled, realising her accusation could only mean he'd won. When they arrived home, he quickly changed into his pyjama bottoms and then reheated the chocolate souffle in the microwave. As the heavenly smell filled the front room, Matt raised a wry eyebrow, asking, "Did you bring enough to share?" Upon Becker's chagrinned look, Matt chuckled. "Hope Jess enjoys it."

Becker nodded, placing the warmed pastry onto a plate and grabbing two forks before returning to his under-table bed. He didn't have to wait long, for Jess scurried in a short time later, saying, "It smells so good!" She climbed into bed next to him and reached to take the plate, but he pulled it away from her.

"It's to share," he insisted. He watched as her expression changed from a disappointed frown...to an comprehending smile...to an annoyed eye roll.

"Becker, I told you, much as I'd love to, we simply don't have time for snogging. We need to get our sleep."

"That's fine with me," Becker said. "I don't have a problem with simply falling asleep with chocolate on my breath." Jess looked torn as Becker took a large forkful of the souffle. "You're right - this is tasty. Mmm-mmm," he said, savouring what he was doing to Jess almost more than the dessert itself. "No wonder you don't share. In fact, I'm not sure I'll-"

Suddenly Jess's lips were on his, passionately kissing him. He awkwardly set the plate down out of the way and then pulled her close, giving some release to all his pent-up anxiety. When Jess finally pulled away, Becker gave her a smile. "It's clear to me I need to keep a supply of these on-hand."

She gave him a playful smack. "You are going to share, yeah?"

Becker nodded and grabbed the plate, and the two of them proceeded to devour it in record time.

"Now," she said as she took the empty plate and placed it up on the table above them, "I think we've time for a bit more snogging - but only a bit - before we settle down to sleep." Of course, he would've liked more than "a bit", but he wasn't going to complain. She carefully got up and turned off the light before crawling back into bed with him.

"So," he asked, giving her a quick peck on the lips, "what'd you think?"

She answered by throwing her arms about him and pulling herself tight against his body as their lips met. She tasted amazing - and not just because of the souffle on her breath - and his body ached for her. However, he knew Jess had meant it about needing her sleep, so he tried not to get too excited, even though it was extremely difficult not to.

After a brief snog - entirely too brief, as far as Becker was concerned - Jess, as expected, pulled away, insisting, "We really should get some sleep, yeah?"

Despite wanting to cry out "No!" he instead gave a nod of agreement. Jess smiled and gave him a tender kiss before rolling over and snuggling back against his chest. Becker took several deep breaths, trying to slow his heart rate as he gently held her close.

"Are you comfortable?" Jess asked after a moment.

Becker nestled his face into her hair, murmuring, "Mm-hmm."

"You're sure your arm's not falling asleep?"

Jess's constant consideration of others would never cease to amaze him. "No, I'm good."

The room descended into a pleasant stillness for a moment, and Becker gave a contented sigh, so glad to have such a kind, compassionate woman in his arms.

However, the moment didn't last long, for Jess squirmed a bit, asking, "Could you please move your arm?"

Becker laughed. "Why didn't you just say so in the first place?" he asked as he quickly adjusted his arm until she appeared more comfortable. "Better?"

Jess nodded and kissed his hand, which she now held tightly against her chest. In return, he tenderly placed a kiss against her hair, offering a quiet "Goodnight."

But Jess was already asleep.

...

to be continued


	33. Ch 33 OPEN & SHUT

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 33 - OPEN AND SHUT

...

Jess awoke to a strange jostling. Opening her eyes to the pre-dawn light, she found Becker atop her, trying his best to crawl out of bed without disturbing her sleep.

Obviously he'd failed.

"Morning," she cooed, causing him to startle.

Frowning, he looked down at her as she rolled onto her back beneath him. "Sorry," he whispered. "Didn't mean to-_unnh_!"

Jess had reached up to pull him close for a kiss and somehow knocked his weight-bearing elbow out from under him, causing his full body weight to come crashing down upon her. Becker looked horrified, but to Jess, who was still dreamy and half-asleep, the addition of this warm, heavy "blanket" atop her felt heavenly, and closing her eyes, she sought out his lips with hers.

However, he quickly pulled away, propping himself back up, once again suspended precariously above her. "Jess, I have to get up. I'm going for a run."

Jess smiled up at the handsome soldier in the dim light. "I can think of other ways to work up a sweat," she teased. Her comment made him pause, and she quickly raised her head from her pillow to give him another kiss, savouring the rough, scratchy feel of his unshaven skin. She once again tried to pull him down atop her, but he held his ground, finally lifting his head free of hers such that their lips parted.

"C'mon," she pleaded. "Wouldn't you rather stay here with me, where it's nice and toasty?" She reached up and tenderly ran her fingers along the edges of the comic book plasters which still adorned his face. Yesterday she'd considered offering him some of the plain fabric ones she kept with the first aid kit, but she rather enjoyed the way his black uniform was accented by the ridiculous bursts of colour. She smiled to herself, remembering the amused looks of their coworkers, before her fingers absently strayed from the plasters into his hair, and she tried to pull him down to her once again.

This time he didn't resist.

That is, until a slight rapping could be heard against the dining room wall. "Becker? Did you want I should wait?"

Jess felt Becker sigh into her mouth before he pulled himself up, frantically answering, "Yeah, Matt. Give me a minute," as he scrambled off of her.

"Oh, I see," Jess teased, suddenly feeling a chill now that his body heat was gone. "You'd rather get sweaty with Matt than with me. Fine. Go ahead. See if I care." And she coyly rolled over so her back was to Becker.

She heard him give another sigh before suddenly feeling a tender kiss upon her ear.

"If you're still asleep when I get back, I'll be sure to wake you," he whispered before disappearing.

Unfortunately, Jess was already awake, and after hearing the front door close down below, she gave a resigned sigh and crawled out of bed. It was early - much earlier than she usually got up - so she wandered over to the computer and idly started searching the net. She grew excited, however, when she remembered that today was, in fact, "Super Saturday", the busiest day of the entire Olympic Games. There were twenty-five gold medals to be won in eleven different sports, and every single venue in the city, plus some, would be in use. Jess was thankful that they'd be working another double shift, for the streets were going to be so busy with traffic that it would be pointless to go anywhere.

The only problem was going to be deciding what to watch! Jessica Ennis was going to finish the heptathlon at Olympics Stadium whilst the women's triathlon ran at Hyde Park. There would be more rowing at Eton Dorney and swimming at the Aquatics Centre. The Velodrome would host the Track Cycling competition whilst the men's walking race went all around The Mall and Constitution Hill. And of course there'd be more tennis at Wimbledon and badminton at Wembley Arena. It was certain to be an exciting day, and Jess couldn't wait for it to start.

Ironically, she recalled this thought at 8:30, when the klaxons started going off.

"What've we got, Jess?" Becker asked as he ran up to the hub with Abby and Emily.

"Looks like...it's near Windsor," Jess said as the map focussed in on the anomaly. "In the Thames!"

"In the water?" Emily asked.

Jess nodded. "'Fraid so."

"Great," Becker mumbled under his breath.

"Windsor?" Abby asked. "Isn't that where the rowing competition is?"

"Right next to it, in fact. All the rowing events are at Eton Dorney, which is right along here," Jess said, zooming out of the map to show how the river ran parallel along the entire length of the long competition lake before making a sharp 90-degree turn at the anomaly to flow past the finish line at the lake's end.

"Brilliant," Becker grumbled. "Just what we need - another anomaly near the bloody Olympics."

Jess shrugged. "ANY anomaly today would be near an event - they're everywhere."

"We'll just have to deal," Matt's voice came over the comms. "Connor and I are kind of in the middle of something. Becker, take Emily and Abby, and we'll be along shortly."

"Understood," Becker said as he grabbed up three blackboxes and started to head off.

"Be careful," Jess called after them. "And...stay dry."

She only hoped she hadn't just jinxed it!

...

"C'mon, Jess," Becker grumbled as they found themselves in yet another tailback. "This is taking forever. Find us a better route."

"There IS no better route," Jess insisted over the comms. "Every section of the city is marked red, as a place to avoid today. And technically it's still the end of rush hour, so..."

"Whatever," Becker snapped. "Just tell me where I need to turn."

"Take the next slip road, and at the roundabout, take the first left. You're nearly there, I promise."

Becker sighed, spotting the turnoff up ahead and veering onto the hard shoulder to squeeze around the M4 traffic. As he did, he noticed with some dismay several Games busses head in the same direction. "Jess, why are you sending us on an event route?"

"Because that's where the anomaly is. I showed you the map - it's right off the rowing lake. You're going to have to park at the competition site and walk about 200 metres, I'm afraid, as there aren't any roads that can get you any closer."

Abby must've sensed Becker gritting his teeth in frustration for she gave him a comforting look, insisting, "We'll be fine." She then asked into the comms, "So what do we know, Jess?"

"Well, the good news is that there haven't been any creature sightings."

"That is good news," Emily agreed from the backseat.

"However," Jess began, and Becker rolled his eyes - of COURSE there was a however - "the anomaly is in the kink known as Ruddles Pool. Because the river changes course so abruptly there, the currents tend to get a bit weird. Due to this, it's deeper - about six metres, I'm afraid - so you'll need to be extra careful. But the weirdness makes for a good place to fish, apparently; pike and perch are common." Leave it to Jess to find something cheerful to report.

"Do we know what time period it leads to?" Matt asked over the comms, casting a pall over the occupants of the 4x4 as the deeper meaning of his question sunk in.

However, Jess cheerily answered, "It looks like it leads to about 400 million years ago."

"Early Devonian," Matt said, and Becker couldn't tell whether that was disappointment or relief in the team leader's voice.

"At least the anomaly's in freshwater," Connor's voice was heard, "so's we shouldn't have to deal with a lot of the bigger sea nasties."

"_Megalograptus_ could live in freshwater," Abby pointed out, "and could even survive on land."

"What are these..._Megalo-_?" Emily began tentatively.

"_-graptus_," Matt finished for her. "They're metre-long sea scorpions."

"But they was earlier," Connor pointed out, "more like 450 million years ago, so we shouldn't have to worry about them."

Becker heard Emily give a sigh of relief from the backseat, but he wasn't feeling the same as he pulled up short behind one of the busses.

"Just let me do the talking, yeah?" Abby suggested, shooting Becker a look before jumping out to go deal with the Olympics security. Becker was glad that he didn't have to deal with them - he wasn't exactly feeling diplomatic at present.

Abby, however, did a good job of sweet-talking the officials into letting them park, and soon they were tramping away from the crowds of spectators and heading towards the Thames path, carrying all their equipment with them. As they came through the trees toward the bank, Becker realised what an idyllic spot this might be, were it not for the loud noise of the nearby Games...nor the tell-tale glimmering light in the water.

But as Becker set down the equipment on the water's edge, he noticed something was off about this anomaly, and he peered into the water to determine what it was.

"Temple, did you somehow beat us here?" he asked into the comms.

"No, I wish," Connor replied. "Why?"

"Because this anomaly is already locked."

"Wot? That don't make sense."

"Becker's right," Abby concurred. "It appears to have been- Whoa!"

She stopped mid-sentence as the underwater spherical glow suddenly seemed to expand out, casting shimmering shards beneath the pool.

"What happened?" Matt asked.

"It spontaneously opened," Emily explained.

"Wot? That's just...weird," Connor said.

"How soon can you get here?" Becker asked impatiently. He couldn't believe that the one time Temple hadn't ridden with him and of course they desperately needed his scientific expertise.

"They're nearly there," Jess answered. "What do you think might've caused it?"

But even as she spoke, the anomaly seemed to shrink to a sphere once again.

"It did it again," Becker announced.

"Yeah - weird," Abby agreed. "It just seemed to close for no reason."

"Perhaps that fish is the reason," Emily said, pointing into the water at the anomaly.

"What fish?" Becker asked, not sure how ANY fish could be responsible for locking an anomaly.

"THAT one," Emily said, pointing into the deep water of the pool. "I believe I saw it swim through the gateway right before it locked."

"That don't make sense," Connor said. "Anomalies don't just lock because something goes through them. Hell, we've ALL been through them, so's we know they don't do that."

"Then how else would you explain it?" Emily asked.

"Don't know," Connor replied over the comms. "But I don't think-"

"It just opened again," Abby announced as once more the golden light seemed to fragment and enlarge.

Even Matt seemed perplexed. "What is going on?"

"I don't know," Becker said, not at all pleased by this turn of events. "Just hurry up and get here."

...

to be continued


	34. Ch 34 SOMETHING FISHY

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 34 - SOMETHING FISHY

...

"How're things going?" Lester asked anxiously over the line, obviously having received Jess's urgent text.

"Not well, I'm afraid," Jess answered. "Matt and Connor have arrived, but the anomaly keeps locking."

Lester paused, clearly expecting more. When she didn't go on, he prompted, "Yes? Isn't that what we send them out for?"

Jess shook her head. "No, I mean it keeps locking by itself...and then unlocking. It's like nothing we've ever seen before."

"Of course it isn't," Lester said with some disdain. "Heaven forbid we have something be routine. You know, I blame Cutter."

Jess wasn't sure what he meant. She'd read the files, she knew all about the Professor, and she didn't see how he could possibly be responsible for what was currently going on. "Professor Cutter? How do you figure?"

"He's the one who decided to call them 'anomalies'," Lester explained drily. "You know, I sometimes wonder if each one isn't simply trying to live up to its name."

Jess rolled her eyes as Lester requested, "Keep me informed," before ringing off.

She then returned her attention back to the hub just in time to hear Emily shout, "There! Did you see that?"

Unfortunately, Jess wasn't seeing anything. It seemed the only routine part of her life these days was the lack of video coverage of the team. It was ironic, really, when just over 100 metres away were loads of cameras, but naturally they were all facing the other direction, ready to capture the Olympic rowers as they crossed the finish line. Jess thought about hacking into one of the cameras and turning it towards the river, but what would be the point? She knew from the satellite maps that trees lined the bank, so she figured why risk getting into trouble when she wouldn't be able to see the team anyway?

Though she longed to see, for perhaps another pair of eyes would help them solve this riddle.

"What did you see, Emily?" Matt asked.

"A fish came through, right before it locked. Just as I observed previously. That must be what is causing it."

As the team began arguing once more about how a simple fish couldn't possibly be responsible, Jess decided to do some research. If she couldn't contribute a pair of eyes, she could at least contribute the wisdom that was to be found on the internet. She searched for Devonian fish, which brought up numerous entries, too many to read. She then added "freshwater" to her search, which narrowed down the number of hits considerably. She then began clicking on links and skimming through the information, trying to find something that might help.

The fish of that era were mostly jawless, and many were bottom-feeders, sifting through detritus along the sea and riverbeds for food. Many were also armoured, to protect them from predators such as Abby's sea scorpions and certain varieties of jawed fish.

But as Jess skimmed the entry on the armoured bottom-feeder _Cephalaspis_, one fact in particular stood out.

"Could Emily's fish be a _Cephalaspis_?" she asked excitedly into the comms before realising she'd just cut Becker off mid-sentence.

"Could be," Connor replied. "They're hard to see, but it's possible they've that sort of armoured head shield."

"Are they staying near the bottom?" Jess asked, wondering if their vision problem was stemming from that simple fact.

"Yes," Emily answered eagerly, clearly pleased that at least someone was taking her fish observations seriously.

"Why, Jess?" Matt asked. "What've you found?"

"It seems _Cephalaspis_ had sensory organs, running from their heads down their bodies, that were used to sense worms and other burrowing animals in the riverbeds. But get this! Scientists believe these sensory organs may have put off a mild electrical charge."

"That's it!" Connor exclaimed. "As each fish passes through the anomaly, the electricity its generating causes it to lock momentarily. But since it's not constant, it sort of wears off after a bit and the anomaly opens back up...until another one comes through."

"Which means I was correct," Emily said, sounding rather smug.

"Which means you're brilliant, Jess," Connor praised.

"Which MEANS," Becker grumbled, "we've got an incursion of who knows how many bottom-feeding fish in a 6-metre-deep river that we've now got to somehow get back through the anomaly."

"Well," Matt began, "let's go fishin'."

"Unfortunately these fish are jawless," Jess pointed out, "so I'm afraid a rod and reel won't cut it."

"'Course they won't," Becker grumbled.

"Look, here comes another one through," Emily said.

"Where?"

"Right there."

"I can't see-"

"Careful!"

"Becker!"

A loud splash suddenly sounded through the comms, and Jess could hear the other team members frantically trying to fish Becker out of the river.

Jess didn't need a camera to know exactly the expression on the soldier's face!

...

Falling in the river was only the beginning.

Hours later, as Becker glanced across the water at his teammates, he heaved a sigh of frustration. He was so angry with Abby right now he could scream. He couldn't believe how ridiculous she'd been acting over a bunch of fish. A bunch of ugly, wet, squirmy almost-sushi! Uggh!

After identifying the incursion (and helping Becker out of the cold water), the team had begun to discuss what was to be done. Whilst Connor set about modifying the locking device - "I should just MAKE some underwater models instead of constantly having to retrofit these," he'd commented - Matt asked for suggestions from the team on how to collect the creatures.

"Yes, Jess," Matt acknowledged, though Becker hadn't heard her comment as his comms had been destroyed when he fell in the water. "So we'll have to use nets."

Nets. Great. Becker sighed before reminding everyone, "The river's six metres deep." And damn cold!

"How about a seine net?" Connor asked. "You know, the ones that kinda encircle the fish as you close in on them?"

Matt shook his head. "You need a boat for those."

"No, I seen people use 'em in rivers," Connor insisted.

"SHALLOW rivers," Becker grumbled.

"And these fish dwell on the bottom, remember?" Emily commented. "So we shall need nets that go all the way down to the riverbed."

When everyone paused following Emily's statement, Becker realised Jess must be saying something - damn, this was annoying being out of the loop! - and a minute later Matt nodded his head

"At least that should narrow our search," Matt replied.

Before Becker could ask, Abby countered, "That's assuming they're spawning now. We should probably place at least one net downstream just in case."

Becker was still trying to deduce Jess's comment when Emily asked, "Should we not then attempt to catch these fish as one would catch salmon?"

Ah. Now it made sense.

Matt nodded. "I think gillnetting is going to be our best bet."

"No!" Abby was adamant. "Gillnetting is non-specific and destructive."

Becker rolled his eyes as Emily asked, "What is gillnetting?"

"A form of fish torture," Abby replied heatedly.

Matt ignored her, replying more helpfully, "They're vertical panels of netting set in a straight line, with the bottoms weighted. Fish attempt to swim through and get caught in the netting."

"And when they struggle to free themselves," Abby went on, "the twine slips behind the operculum, preventing escape, oftentimes resulting in cuts to the skin and scales, and causing extreme fear and panic. And constriction of the gills may even stop the fish from being able to breathe properly. They're so harmful, in fact, that the U.N. has outlawed their use in international waters."

"Then what's YOUR suggestion, Abigail?" Becker snapped.

Of course, she didn't have one. And as Matt set off to the local angling centre to pick up the nets and obtain the appropriate licences, Abby insisted on going with him, still arguing her convictions. Becker, on the other hand, was sent to collect the scuba equipment - they would need men in the water to actually get the fish back through the anomaly once they were caught, and being already wet, Becker had naturally been volunteered for the job. Emily went with him, stubbornly refusing to let him have her comms and instead relaying to him Jess's driving directions, a situation which was beyond frustrating.

But not as frustrating as when they returned and started working with the nets.

Abby had finally seen reason and allowed Matt to proceed with the gillnets, but she'd demanded that, to reduce the suffering of the fish, they must reduce the duration of capture. "The Fair-Fish fish welfare certification scheme limits capture duration to 30 minutes," she'd insisted.

Which meant that, after setting the four gillnets - one slightly downstream and the others successively further distances upstream from the anomaly - they had to systematically reel them in every 30 minutes and remove the fish from the netting, sorting them into the ones being tossed back in and the ones that were to be sent back to their own time. The Devonian fish had large pointed heads that were shaped like arrowheads - or, per Temple, the Starfleet logo - so at least they were easy to sort from the modern fish.

Of course, for the operation to run smoothly, someone had to be on the far side of the river to help suspend and resuspend each net, so Becker had volunteered. First of all, it meant he could be far from the rest of the team, which, in his current temper, could only be a good thing. Second, he didn't have to actually pull the fish out of the netting, which he'd certainly have not done carefully enough for Abby's liking. And third, he was already wet, so he might as well swim to the other side rather than someone wasting time travelling the long way 'round.

Unfortunately being on the far side meant that, when Connor brought back food for the midday meal, Becker had to swim across the wide, chilly river and gulp down his food quickly before swimming back again to keep to Abby's ridiculous netting schedule.

And being by himself on this side of the river had another disadvantage - it meant he had to answer everyone's questions when they ambled up, curious to know what the fuss was about. Becker usually didn't have a problem dealing with the public - dressed in his all-black uniform and carrying his EMD (which, to the general populace, looked like a real weapon), he struck an imposing figure, so when he was short and simply told people, "Government business," they didn't ask for more details. But now here he stood, dripping wet, his damp black tee clinging to his chest as he hurried along the bank from one net to another, and people seemed to want more of an explanation as to what he and the others were up to.

But worst of all, with his comms down, he couldn't even complain about all this to Jess!

...

to be continued


	35. Ch 35 TRANQS & THANKS

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 35 - TRANQS & THANKS

...

When the shift change came, Jess couldn't believe the team were still in the field. She immediately sent out some additional soldiers, who were just coming onto the swing shift, in order to relieve those who weren't scheduled for tonight. Of course the core team, like Jess herself, still had another eight hours to go before they could head home.

Part of the delay at the anomaly was due to far more fish having come through than originally supposed, so the team had had to continually move the nets further and further upstream until they were certain that they'd captured them all. Also, it was taking a long time to untangle the fish from the netting. And of course their efforts had been interrupted midday when the Olympics crowd, high on Team GB's rowing medals, wandered over to the river after the events to find out what was going on. Jess could only imagine what sort of mood Becker was in by now.

Of course, she hadn't been able to talk to him all day. She actually missed his grumbling and sarcastic, under-his-breath remarks...and missed having the opportunity to try to make him smile. She considered passing along a cheerful message to him via Emily, but as there was nothing official she needed to communicate, she chickened out, not wanting to seem pathetic.

Luckily it sounded like the team were now nearly done. Or at least done with THIS phase of the process. They still had to get the prehistoric fish back to their own time, which meant Becker and Matt were suiting up, preparing to dive. Jess wondered how Becker was doing with it, after his bad diving experience last week. This, of course, was quite different - it was still daylight, and from what Emily had said, the water was relatively clear, so hopefully he wouldn't be TOO worried.

And Jess was trying to manage HER worry by having Emily give her periodic updates. She'd set up a secure line with Emily early on, when Jess had realised that she wasn't going to be much assistance to the team, and she'd been amused to listen to what details her friend had chosen to pass along to her all day. Having survived in the wild for three years, Emily had become a keen observer, for it'd often meant the difference between life and death; this explained why she'd been the one to notice the connection between the fish and the locking anomaly this morning.

"Matt and Captain Becker are in the water now, heading down to the anomaly," Emily was presently informing Jess.

"I thought all the fish weren't free yet."

"It will take some time to get the fish back through the gateway, so they are starting the process now as Abby and the others continue with the nets."

"What about you?"

"I have...a different assignment."

From her pause, Jess figured there was a story behind that. "Oh yes?" she prompted.

"It seems Abby felt I was not treating the fish...as gently as I should, so I am now acting as the communications liaison between the divers and the ARC."

"Uh-huh," Jess laughed. "And whose idea was that - yours or hers?"

"Becker's actually."

Jess was momentarily taken aback...until she remembered that Emily had commented several times about Becker and Abby being at cross-purposes all day, so no doubt he'd taken Emily's side just to piss off their blonde coworker. Ah well, hopefully everyone's tempers would be back to normal once this task was done.

"The anomaly is unlocked, and the first fish is through," Emily announced matter-of-factly.

"Why are they only doing one fish at a time?" Jess asked. "Why don't they just toss through a netful?"

"Because they don't want to introduce a foreign net into the Devonian, for other fish might-"

"-get caught up in it," Jess finished for her - it was clear that Abby had once again put her foot down.

"The anomaly is unlocked, and the second fish is now through," Emily declared, clearly taking her communications role seriously.

"You already mentioned Connor unlocked it," Jess said, confused as to why she'd mentioned it again.

"Connor did not lock it this time; the fish did."

"Oh, right!" Jess had completely forgotten that the problems that the fish had caused swimming through the anomaly into this time would naturally occur going back the other way. No wonder this was going to take so long, with them having to wait for the anomaly to naturally unlock every time after each fish's electrical charge wore off.

"The anomaly is unlocked, and the third fish is through."

Jess laughed. "You don't have to count each one for me - I'm liable to fall asleep if you do."

But Emily didn't seem to be listening for she absently commented, "How strange."

"What?" Jess asked, for the zillionth time today regretting not having CCTV coverage to watch.

"The anomaly did not lock that time."

"Really? Why?"

"I do not know, but here come the divers," she announced.

Of course, Jess couldn't hear what they asked upon surfacing, but she heard Abby's reply through the comms. "Was the fish...sedate?"

They must've replied in the affirmative for Abby then explained, "Some of the fish were so tangled up in the gillnetting, I had to tranq them in order to get them free without further injury."

"Tranq?!" Jess could hear Becker's loud, annoyed voice through the other comms. "A bloody fish?!"

"Yes!" snapped Abby. "And precisely because it was 'bloody', from your insistence on using these damn-"

Matt must've stepped in, for Abby cut off abruptly. Jess waited and waited, wondering what he was saying. Finally, Emily asked, "Did you hear all that, Jess?"

"I couldn't hear a thing."

"It seems the tranquiliser Abby used on the fish dulled the electricity it was giving off, causing the anomaly not to close. So now they are going to tranq all the remaining fish so they can get them back through more efficiently."

"That's brilliant," Jess said, pleased that her flatmate had made such a contribution.

"Yes. But if I were you, I would probably keep that opinion to myself," Emily said simply, but she didn't need to say more - Jess imagined Abby was not exactly on Becker's list of favourite people at the moment.

She only hoped SHE was still on that list.

...

Becker couldn't wait to get back to the ARC and take a long, hot shower. But more, he couldn't wait to get out of this damn 4x4. They'd had to fight rush hour traffic this morning to get to the anomaly, and now they were having to fight it on the way back as well.

Though that wasn't the primary source of his annoyance.

Usually it was Temple that Becker longed to be elsewhere, but Abby had managed to take that honour on this drive. Of course, he didn't imagine Abby was too pleased with him either, especially after she'd seen the added load he'd placed in the boot.

"What're those?" she'd asked, knowing full well the answer.

Becker had merely rolled his eyes, stating simply, "Fish."

Abby had been furious. "This was not some sort of...sporting expedition, you know! We were trying to PROTECT the creatures, ALL the creatures, not just the ones from the Devonian. And besides, you need a licence to-"

"We have a licence," Becker had replied, dramatically slamming the boot closed and heading for the driver's seat. He, of course, hadn't bothered to mention that he'd been the one to suggest that Matt buy the licence so they'd at least have SOME reward for their efforts in the river today. Nor had he pointed out that these perch had become so entangled in the gillnetting that they probably would've died anyway, since that would've just inspired yet another lecture.

Of course, he'd been getting an earful the entire drive back anyway, making him thankful when Temple piped up from the backseat.

"So's I'm trying to redesign the locking device to make it amphibious," he said, explaining why he'd been so quiet this whole trip. "Are there any special features you two think I should include in _LD v.3.1_?"

Ordinarily Becker would've rolled his eyes at Temple's cheesy new name for the device, but he was just thankful to be discussing something OTHER than the inhumane practices of the international fishing industry. Before Becker could reply to Connor's question, though, Abby turned round in her seat. "Shouldn't that wait till your project with Matt is finished?"

"Project?" Connor seemed as confused as Becker by her comment. "What'd you mean?"

"This morning? The reason you were late to the anomaly?" Abby prompted. "Matt said you two were working on something together."

"Oh, that. That's not really a project, per se."

"Then what?"

"He just wanted to go over the post-Convergence anomaly data with me, to see if we could find a pattern, some reason for why there hasn't been no anomalies to the future of late."

"And?" Becker prompted anxiously. "Did you?"

"Nothing I could see. No real patterns or nothing. But I'm gonna crunch a few more numbers when we get back. Shouldn't take long. And then I can move onto my redesign."

The car descended into stillness after Connor's last remarks, and Becker guessed Abby was thinking about the implications as well. The fact that Matt was now able to use the team to help sort things out just proved the point that he should've told them earlier. Then again, the fact that none of them seemed able to actually contribute anything substantial meant that, from the looks of things, knowing earlier would've just prolonged everyone's anxiety for no real purpose.

At least Becker was able to struggle with these thoughts in blissful silence for the rest of the trip as his passengers seemed caught up in their own worries.

When they finally arrived back at the ARC, Becker and the others began unloading the 4x4s. Becker knew better than to let dead fish simply sit around, so he decided to carry them in with all the assorted kit he needed to restock. However, he was moving rather slowly, thanks to being tired from his swims, so the others had already gone on ahead by the time he had gathered everything. He only wanted to make one trip - the sooner to get out of his damp clothes and into a hot shower - so his hands were precariously full as he got onto the lift, forcing him to push the button with his elbow. It was apparent, however, that his elbow had a mind at its own for, when the door opened, he unintentionally found himself in Ops.

He would've been annoyed had his first sight not been Jess, smiling and hurrying towards him.

"Here, let me help you," she said, scurrying up the steps.

And while his brain knew her offer meant helping to carry things, his body had something else in mind. He dropped his kit onto the floor and pulled Jess close for a kiss. And whilst he'd meant it to be a simple peck, neither his lips nor his arms wanted to let her go. It were as if all the strain and tension from the day were simply flowing out of him, and he wanted the kiss to go on forever.

However, Jess soon pulled away, blushing. "Hello to you, too," she said with an embarrassed grin before lowering her voice to add, "but remember, we're still on duty for another six hours."

Becker sighed. "Don't remind me," he said, leaning down to pick his equipment back up.

"But don't worry-" Jess began, grabbing up a few items herself before frowning at the odd bag she'd just hefted. "What's this?" she asked, sniffing the air curiously.

"Catch of the day," Becker said with a grin. But when Jess frowned, his face fell as well. "Don't tell me - you don't like fish?"

"No, I do," she insisted as they started back into the lift. "It's just that we won't be home till after midnight tonight nor tomorrow."

Becker shrugged. "They'll keep."

Jess nodded. "Then we'd best mark them before we put them in the freezer, or they're liable to walk away before we can get them home." From her tone, it was clear she was still upset about the cupcakes from the other night. "Oh, and I've ordered in some Chinese for all of us. Don't worry - I ordered loads of prawn crackers! I figured you all could use a nice, hot meal, especially after being in the freezing cold water. And you must be plum miserable, having been in those damp clothes all day!"

And this, more than anything, was why he loved Jess - not a single other person had even seemed aware of his discomfort, yet she'd noticed straightaway.

He, however, noticed what he'd just thought and gasped, surprised that the word had come so easily to him.

"You okay?" Jess asked, worried. "You know, if you'd rather take a hot shower first and get into some dry clothes, I can always save you some food and reheat-"

He didn't even let her finish.

And although he wasn't exactly looking, this time his elbow successfully found the correct button, stopping the lift so he could have time to properly thank Jess...for simply being Jess.

...


	36. Ch 36 SUPER SATURDAY

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 36 - SUPER SATURDAY

...

Jess suggested everyone eat their meal in Ops, as there were many exciting events scheduled for the evening. Although Emily was insistent that they watch the Men's quarterfinal football match with Korea at 7:30, Jess turned on the Athletics events instead. In the morning, Jess had watched Jessica Ennis compete in both the long jump and javelin throw, and now all that remained of her seven events was the 800m. Their Team GB heroine was in first place going into this final race of the Heptathlon with 5971 points, and Jess was eager to see her win the gold.

As everyone ate their meal, Jess waited. She knew the food was growing cold, but she wanted to wait for Becker. She still wasn't sure what the sudden snog in the lift had been about - not that she was complaining! - but she got the distinct feeling that Becker might appreciate not eating alone.

He joined them moments before the race, which was to be run in four heats, with Ennis competing against her top competitors in the final one, so Jess decided to rush to the canteen to microwave their food, insisting Becker simply rest. Unfortunately the seconds on the microwave seemed to crawl by, and as she hurried back to Ops, she heard the announcer stating, "The long jump's starting to heat up."

"Oh no, did I miss it?" she frantically asked as she ran in.

"No," Emily replied. "They are simply showing the long jump in between the heats of the Heptathlon race." Jess could hear the excitement in her friend's voice, as if the girl had forgotten all about the fact that she was missing the football match.

"Phew!" Jess breathed a sigh of relief as she set the plates down for her and Becker. He smiled at her and squeezed her hand as he whispered, "Thanks."

"Of course," she said dismissively - after everything he'd done for the team today, she wasn't about to make HIM go reheat their food.

"He's now moved into the bronze medal position again," the announcer was heard to say, and Jess looked up in time to see that it was Christopher Tomlinson from Team GB that was being discussed.

"Brilliant!" Jess said even as the screen switched back to the track, and the chart for the final heat of the 800m flashed across the screen. The top nine Heptathlon competitors were in this race, with Jessica Ennis in lane 4. And even though the announcer was explaining that, with her current lead in points, she was almost assured the gold, it didn't make it any less exciting. As Jessica Ennis was introduced, the crowd in Olympic Stadium roared for their local favourite, and Jess herself felt almost giddy.

The starting gun went off, and Ennis almost immediately took the lead. The entire team were on the edge of their seats as the racer was overtaken in the second lap by two other runners.

"Don't worry - she don't need to win the race to win the gold," Connor pointed out, but Abby impatiently shushed him.

Suddenly, in the final stretch, Ennis put on a burst of speed, passing not one but all her competitors! The ARC team whooped and hollered as she crossed the finish line first to the announcer eagerly cheering, "A gold medal for Great Britain! A gold medal for Jessica Ennis!" Jess could feel tears coming to her own eyes as they showed Ennis starting to cry on the field, overwhelmed by the victory.

"That was certainly riveting," Emily said.

"Yeah," Abby agreed, "highlight of my day," as Ennis wrapped herself in a Union Jack, sending a surge of national pride through them all.

Yet Abby was wrong, for the best was yet to come. The long jump competition continued, and whilst Tomlinson dropped out of the medal competition, Greg Rutherford's final jump of 8.31m cinched the gold medal for Team GB, making him the first British man to jump to gold in nearly 50 years!

And although Jess and the others had long since finished eating, no one even bothered to clean up their plates as they continued to sit in front of the monitors, spellbound. The Men's 10,000m was next, and again they were poised on the edge of their seats watching as the competitors went round and round the track. Jess finally noticed she was holding her breath, she was so caught up in the race.

And apparently she wasn't the only one because around lap twenty Emily exclaimed breathlessly, "Who knew watching men run in circles could be more thrilling than a football match?"

And the excitement only grew from there. Team GB's Mo Farah had been running in the midst of the pack for the majority of the race, but four laps from the end he picked up the pace and started sprinting past his competitors, his training partner, American Galen Rupp, right behind him. Olympic Stadium was roaring, as was all of Ops as everyone gathered about the monitors, cheering, "Go, Mo!" as he covered the final lap in only 54 seconds! As he crossed the finish line, everyone gave a victory holler! No one could believe that Team GB had just won three gold medals in one hour!

"That was amazing!" Abby said as Jess nodded enthusiastically, beyond excited at what they'd all just witnessed.

"And guys," Connor said, "do you realise that he just ran a 4:25-mile pace...for over 6.2 miles? That's-"

"Insane?" Becker offered wryly.

"Dedicated," Matt suggested.

"British!" Jess said, bringing a proud smile to everyone's faces.

...

Becker was grateful for the excitement of the Games for he'd completely run out of steam. Like a shark, he'd been fine as long as he'd kept moving, but after his hot shower and reheated meal in front of the Games, he'd suddenly realised just how exhausted he truly was. Being cold all day in his damp clothes had simply sapped him of all his energy, and the multiple swims in the frigid water hadn't done him much good either. Luckily Jess had suggested that he simply wait till tomorrow to write up his incident report, as they were once again scheduled to work a double shift; he decided it was for the best, as hopefully he'd be more coherent in the morning.

When midnight finally arrive, Becker was grateful to head home. He was so tired, he considered asking Jess to drive, but as she was rubbish at driving a manual, he decided to suck it up and just get them home as quickly as possible. Thankfully Jess kept up a cheerful dialogue - or monologue, to be more accurate - the entire way home, eagerly extolling the virtues of Super Saturday as well as practically every member of Team GB.

When they arrived back at the flat, Jess gave a sigh as she climbed out of the car. Becker raised an inquisitive eyebrow, and she replied, "I was just thinking, it's hard to believe we'll be back out here in less than seven hours."

Becker sighed as well - at present, he didn't feel up for anything more than collapsing into bed and sleeping for days.

Jess, however, seemed to have other plans. "So...," she began hesitantly, taking his hand as they headed inside and up the stairs, "did you...um...I mean, should I...well...only if you want me to, of course."

Becker was too sleepy to deal with Jess's insecurities right now. "Spit it out, Jess."

"Did you want...company tonight? ... I mean, I know you're exhausted from all that swimming today, and if you'd rather sleep by yourself tonight, I'd totally understand, I just...well...I rather like falling asleep in your arms. But really, if you don't want me to, it's quite-"

"Jess," Becker interrupted with all the force he could muster. The only thing that sounded better than crawling into bed right now was crawling into bed with Jess curled up beside him - she might be just what he needed to get rid of this lingering chill. "Of course you can sleep with me. Consider it an open invitation."

Jess smiled and gave him a quick peck as they reached the first floor landing. "Lovely! Then I'll be down in a few, yeah?"

As he watched her gracefully leap up the stairs, he realised he was admiring her vigour more than the view - this, more than anything, was a clear sign that he was spent!

He said his goodnights to the rest of his flatmates and then disappeared into the box-enclosed dining room. He got into his pyjama bottoms but decided to keep his tee and socks on at present, as he was still freezing. Of course, once his own private heater was pressed tightly against his chest, he'd probably regret not removing them, but he could always strip them off in the night if he grew too warm.

Crawling into their makeshift bed, something Jess had mentioned in the car made him smile: the Olympics were officially half over. Despite the cosiness of their under-table nest, Becker was definitely looking forward to being back in his own bed again...and hopefully this time with Jess at his side. He lay down and closed his eyes, hoping Jess didn't dally as he was liable to fall asleep before long. Yet she didn't come. And didn't come. And he began to absently wonder whether she'd changed her mind when he heard a strange noise coming from the kitchen, followed by Jess calling out, "Night, Matt."

Becker opened his eyes to watch her enter bearing two steaming mugs.

"I didn't have time to make coffee, but my mum always gave me hot Ribena to warm me up before bed, and I thought it might help."

Becker simply stared at her. He sometimes wondered if she were too good to be true.

However, Jess must've taken his silence to mean disapproval. "If you don't like Ribena, I could get you some tea or-"

"Ribena's lovely," he said, struggling to sit up, propping himself against the boxes that were currently serving as headboard. As Jess handed him the mug and crawled into bed next to him, he gave her a quick peck, adding, "You're lovely." Even in the shadows cast by the table, he could see her blush, which only encouraged him to go on. "I mean it, Jess. Body and soul, you are truly amazing."

"And you're obviously exhausted," she teased. "Quick. Drink up so we can get to sleep," she said, taking a sip from her own mug.

"You mean so we can get to cuddling."

Jess laughed. "Cuddling? And not snogging? You really ARE knackered!"

Becker was. But he also knew that he simply enjoyed the feeling of Jess in his arms, snogging or no.

Though if he hadn't been so tired, he definitely would've hoped for yes!

...

to be continued


	37. Ch 37 SLEEPY & SORE

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 37 - SLEEPY & SORE

...

Jess awoke to a strange noise, and it took her a moment to place it. Once she'd identified the source, she took hold of Becker's hand and started fumbling with his wrist. It was her man-handling, and not the sound, that finally roused Becker, for he asked groggily, "What're you doing?"

"Trying to turn off your alarm before it wakes the entire flat."

"What?" he mumbled before finally catching on and awkwardly manoeuvring to shut it off. Once quieted, he gave an apologetic, "Sorry," as he absently wrapped his arms back around her.

Jess certainly didn't want to complain - she was thrilled at the prospect of getting extra time alone with him - but she felt she should at least ask, as she didn't want to be the sort who prevented her boyfriend from doing his own thing. "Aren't you going for your run?"

Becker gave a sleepy moan, which she took as a no, so she happily nestled back against his chest and closed her eyes, giving a contented sigh.

She was just on the verge of sleep when she heard a quiet rapping against the dining room wall. "Becker?" Matt whispered into the room.

Jess waited, but when Becker didn't respond, she nudged him, causing him to give a loud moan.

"Right," Matt murmured under his breath.

Not wanting their friend to get the wrong impression, Jess quickly called out, "That was just a sleepy moan."

She heard Matt, already on the stairs, chuckle. "Don't worry about it, Jess."

She listened as he descended to the front door and locked it behind him. She then closed her eyes again and was about to doze off, feeling safe and warm in Becker's arms, when she suddenly realised that, with Becker's alarm now off, they were liable to oversleep, and the mere thought of this sent a surge of adrenaline through her.

Now firmly awake, Jess rolled over in Becker's arms and gave him a friendly "good morning" kiss. Or at least she tried. But Becker barely even responded. Jess pulled away, frowning, and Becker slowly opened his eyes.

"Did you just kiss me?" he mumbled groggily.

Jess nodded. "I tried."

"Sorry." He gave her a quick peck but then, as he pulled her closer, frowned.

"What is it?" Jess asked, suddenly worried. "You okay?"

Becker shook his head. "I'm so buggered, it's as if I didn't sleep at all. And I just...ache all over."

"Well, I'm not surprised." When Becker creased his brow in confusion, she explained, "You swam loads yesterday, remember?"

"But that shouldn't make me sore."

"Sure it should. Swimming uses completely different muscles than running. And being cold all day, no doubt all your muscles tensed up, which I'm sure didn't help."

"I suppose" he admitted reluctantly.

Jess could tell he didn't like feeling weak and vulnerable. Not that anyone does, but obviously Becker's view of self with directly linked to his strength and capabilities, so this had him completely out of sorts. Thus it was going to be up to her to raise his spirits.

"You worked harder than anyone else at the anomaly yesterday," Jess began. "I mean, you crossed the river, what, at least four times. And that doesn't even count the time you spent in the water diving. You know, the average temperature of the Thames this time of year is only 11C - I wouldn't even be able to submerge my toe in that! You totally sacrificed for the team, and I - WE - really appreciate it." She gave him a quick peck before adding, "And frankly, I'd be surprised if you WEREN'T sore and miserable today."

Becker raised a sardonic eyebrow. "Is that somehow supposed to make me feel better?"

"Well, THIS is," she cooed, leaning in and giving him a proper kiss. And apparently her pep talk had helped for he eagerly kissed her back. Now THIS was what she'd call a "good morning" kiss!

When they finally broke apart, Jess lay her head upon the pillow and stared dreamily at Becker. The morning light was starting to come streaming through, and she happily took in his mussy hair, his sleepy hazel eyes...and the red, puffy scratches upon his temple!

"Becker!" she exclaimed, leaning in to get a closer look. Unfortunately his wounds only looked worse up-close - the inner edges of the scratches were yellow with pus, and the surrounding skin was swollen and red. Jess tenderly reached over, but Becker flinched almost before her fingers reached him, obviously extremely sensitive to the touch.

"Becker, these have gotten totally infected! You must go to medical first thing and get these seen to."

"They'll be fine, Jess," he mumbled sleepily.

Yet she wasn't entirely certain that was true.

...

Becker couldn't believe Jess was treating him this way. She'd insisted on driving in today, though what his scratches had to do with his ability to drive was anybody's guess. And once they'd arrived at the ARC, Jess had taken his hand and practically dragged him to medical, as if he were an errant child likely to dawdle and get lost if left to go on his own. Becker wasn't quite sure whether to be angry at her obvious lack of trust in his ability to take care of himself...or to be flattered at her overwhelming concern. But as he was exhausted, he settled for flattered, as it simply took less energy.

Luckily, once she'd delivered him safely to medical, she left for the hub, though not before ordering the medic to take care of him. Becker was made to lie down on one of the gurneys so the medic could better tend to his scratches, and Becker nearly fell asleep in the few minutes she was sterilising her instruments. However, the moment she set to draining his wounds, which admittedly seemed far worse this morning than previously, he got a surge of adrenaline from the rush of pain. Damn those bloody birds for causing such a mess! And damn those bloody fish for making him so sore and exhausted today. Uggh! He longed for a simple, hassle-free anomaly, though he was starting to wonder if those even existed.

Once the medic was finished - several bandages and loads of pain later - Becker slowly made his way towards the armoury. Every muscle in him ached, suggesting Jess's theory was correct about the cold being partly responsible for his soreness.

"So," Matt greeted as Becker walked in, "you have a nice lie-in this morning?" However, before Becker could answer, the team leader frowned, asking, "You all right?"

"No!" Becker snapped. Here he was feeling absolutely miserable, and Matt seemed perfectly fine. Of course, Jess would probably be quick to point out that Matt had spent far less time in the water - and standing about in damp clothes - but it still didn't make him feel any better.

Matt luckily didn't pursue his line of questioning and quietly let Becker go about his business. Becker was thankful to have his incident report to work on for he wasn't up for anything more strenuous than sitting at a workstation typing. In fact, he was having trouble staying awake as it was. He couldn't believe he felt this rotten! His wounds were now throbbing, thanks to the medic, which made him feel even worse. He considered walking down to medical for some paracetamol, but he was too tired to make the trip. Instead he simply put his head down on the table for a moment, just hoping his headache would go away.

"You okay?"

Becker awoke to Jess putting a gentle hand upon his shoulder. Lifting his head, he opened his eyes to see her peering down at him with a look of concern in her eyes...and a mischievous grin upon her face.

"You know," she teased, "if I weren't so nice, I might give you a lecture about falling asleep on the job,"

Becker sighed. "It'd be no less than I deserved." He couldn't believe he'd done such a thing!

"Don't be silly," Jess said, shaking her head. "All's forgiven, remember? I'm just glad you got some rest, as you clearly needed it. But when you didn't show up for lunch-"

"Lunch?!" Becker looked at his watch and was amazed to see it was already after noon - he'd slept half the morning away!

Jess must've seen his look of horror for she soothed, "Don't fret. It's fine, really! Matt recognises all you did for the team yesterday. In fact, he told me I should simply let you sleep, but I thought you could use a hot meal," she said, gesturing to two plates of reheated Chinese leftovers. "But afterwards, you really must retire to the Quiet Room."

But Becker was even more horrified at this suggestion. "Jess, I couldn't possibly-" he began, but she cut him off with a quick peck.

"It was Matt's idea," she insisted. "If there were an anomaly right now, you wouldn't be much good to the team. It's better for you to rest up and feel better."

"But I can't be paid to kip," he insisted, his work ethic balking as such a preposterous idea.

"Well, when you put it like that, the rest of us are pretty much getting paid to sit around and watch the Olympics all day," she said with a grin as she sat down next to him. "Now eat up, because I want to make it back to Ops before the afternoon sailing events start - we actually have a chance at winning several medals."

Becker couldn't help but smile. Knowing the others weren't getting much work done either, especially on what should've been a lazy Sunday at home, made him feel better.

As did the quick snog in the Quiet Room before Jess rushed back to Ops!

...

to be continued


	38. Ch 38 LAZY SUNDAY, CURIOUS MONDAY

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 38 - LAZY SUNDAY, CURIOUS MONDAY

...

Jess was glad that Becker had given in and kipped the afternoon away. Frankly she was quite concerned about him - he simply didn't seem like himself today - but hopefully after a proper rest he'd be back to normal.

She was also worried about his wounds - she couldn't believe he'd allowed them to become so infected. She'd actually gone to medical midmorning, after she was certain he'd left, to get a full report from Mel, since she didn't trust Becker to tell her anything. The medic explained how she'd drained his wounds but indicated that they needed to be watched to make sure the pus didn't return. Jess promised she'd be diligent and would drag him back herself if need be.

The afternoon passed lazily, with numerous events to watch whilst Becker still slept. Clearly he'd needed the kip, for he didn't appear in Ops till nearly 6 that evening.

"Good afternoon, sleepyhead," she greeted with a grin. "Feeling better?"

He frowned as if seriously contemplating the question before nodding. "I think so."

Jess laughed. "That doesn't sound very convincing."

Becker shrugged. "I'll be okay. Sorry I was out for so long."

"Not a problem. I'm just glad you got some rest. You clearly needed it."

He nodded before gesturing towards the monitors. "So what did I miss?"

Jess beamed. "Well, I was right - we ended up winning two sailing medals, including a gold for Ben Ainslie in the Men's Finn, not to mention two medals in tennis. And our gymnasts actually did it again - we won both the silver AND the bronze in the Men's Pommel Horse! Can you believe it?"

Becker shook his head, but apparently it wasn't the veracity of her statements that he doubted. "I meant, what'd I miss work-wise?"

"Oh, right," Jess said with a laugh - they'd spent such a lazy Sunday, she'd almost forgotten about work. "Well, Connor's started working on his new amphibious locking device; Matt and Abby both finished their incident reports and got them turned in; and Emily's been researching recipes all afternoon."

Becker's brow wrinkled in confusion. "What do recipes have to do with work?"

"The perch, of course." Jess then remembered that Becker hadn't been around for their dinner discussions. "Oh, right, you don't know. See, we've decided to make a fancy meal of the perch, a mid-Olympics celebration so to speak. So we're going grocery shopping tomorrow evening after work and plan to cook on Tuesday. I hope that works for you?"

Becker shrugged. "As long as I'm not the one doing the cooking, it doesn't really affect me, yeah?"

Jess cringed, not having known how to broach the topic. However, since he'd already mentioned it, she decided to charge forward heedlessly. "Well... actually... I need to talk to you about that." Becker raised his eyebrows expectantly as Jess tried to figure out how to proceed. "See, as I mentioned, we thought we'd do a fancy, PROPER sit-down dinner and...well...it simply wouldn't be the same in front of the telly with plates on our laps, and we won't all fit around the small table in the nook, so I thought perhaps you wouldn't mind if we...?" She smiled anxiously at the handsome soldier, hoping he'd get the hint without her having to say it aloud.

Luckily Becker caught on and sighed, finishing for her, "...Ate at the dining room table."

Jess nodded. "I know you've kind of turned that into your own little nest, and I don't want you to feel like we're invading your privacy or anything. And we can always turn it back into our-YOUR bedroom again afterwards. But I just thought it'd be special if we-"

"Jess," Becker stopped her. "Really. It's fine."

She breathed a sigh of relief. It was the only thing that had really been bothering her about their scheme, and she was grateful that he wasn't upset. "Oh good. And you'll have plenty of help moving the boxes tomorrow - Abby already volunteered Connor to assist, since they are, after all, THEIR boxes. And of course I'll help, too."

Becker frowned. "Won't you be cooking?"

Jess laughed. "My cooking skills are what can be described as localised to a single finger." When Becker looked confused, she mimed punching first the buttons on a microwave and then on her mobile and was pleased when he smiled.

"But you prepared our picnic last week," he pointed out.

Jess laughed. "Slapping together a few sandwiches is hardly cooking." She gave a sheepish shrug, concluding, "I thought you knew."

He shook his head. "I've learnt it's never good to make assumptions about women."

Laughing, she said, "Nor about men neither. Did you know Matt is quite proficient in the kitchen? Something of a master with vegetables, or so I've been told, so I think we're in for a right treat."

Becker nodded. "Sounds like you've planned for everything." He then frowned as a thought occurred to him. "But where will we put the boxes?"

"I figured we'd stack them against the wall in the nook. They should be relatively out of the way...and we can easily move them back after," she leant over and whispered in his ear, "so you needn't worry about missing out on too much snogging." She gave him a quick peck, which somehow went much longer than planned.

"Good to see you're finally up," Matt commented, and Jess quickly broke off the kiss, her cheeks flaming until she realised the team leader was simply referring to Becker's conscious state. "Feeling more rested?" he went on.

Becker nodded. "Thanks," he said simply. Matt merely nodded back, and Becker quickly added, "And I should have my incident report done tonight."

Matt shrugged. "No hurry." Clearly this wasn't the real reason why he'd stopped by the hub since he then turned to Jess, asking expectantly, "Well?"

Luckily she knew exactly what he meant, though she was certain he wasn't going to like her answer. "No, I'm afraid."

"Bad?"

Jess nodded, reluctantly admitting, "37 to 14." Croatia had simply devoured Team GB in Women's Handball, and Matt cringed at the final score. "But not to worry," she went on cheerily, "more cycling's about to start, and then there's Men's Hockey at 7 and Women's Water Polo at 8:20. I was thinking pizza with hockey?"

Matt nodded. "I'll go let the others know."

As the team leader wandered off, Jess turned back to Becker, who was smirking.

"You weren't kidding. Did you lot get ANY work done today?"

Jess gave a sheepish look before asking, "How exactly would you define 'work'?" When Becker laughed, she added, "Feel better about sleeping all day?"

He nodded. "Much."

She smiled. "Good. Then pull up a chair and join me. The Men's Omnium - whatever that is - is just about to start at the Velodrome."

But Becker shook his head. "I've got to get my incident report written."

Matt had just indicated he wasn't in any hurry to get it, but Jess knew Becker wouldn't be able to relax until it was finished. "Okay, but make sure you're back at 7 for pizza."

Becker smiled, saying, "I'll do my best," as he gave her an absent peck.

She teasingly pouted, declaring, "THAT certainly wasn't your best."

He laughed and thankfully pulled her closer for a much more satisfying kiss.

...

Although Becker wouldn't admit it, he was actually pleased that, at the end of the double shift, he wasn't the one who had to drive home. Despite having kipped most of the day, he was still feeling tired and sore, so it was nice to just sit back and let Jess meander her way home through the late night city streets.

He still felt extremely guilty about having slept on the job, though he knew the others weren't judging him. In fact, he was certain even Lester wouldn't have cared, since their guv'nor was only concerned with keeping the anomalies and any incursions under control whilst the Games were on. They'd managed to do an excellent job of doing just that yesterday, which of course was what had brought on Becker's exhaustion today. However, the whole idea of kipping on taxpayer time still felt wrong.

Jess, on the other hand, felt exactly right as he wrapped his arms about her in their makeshift bed when they got home. He was glad this was their last double shift - at least until next weekend - for he was looking forward to being back on a regular schedule again, to having time for a proper snog at bedtime instead of rushing to sleep simply so they could get up early again the next day.

Though they'd be losing this cosy nest tomorrow, a fact which Jess was still clearly feeling insecure about.

"You're not upset with me, are you?" she whispered quietly into the darkness.

"About what?"

"About sacrificing all this just so we can have our dinner party?"

"It's your flat, Jess. I'm the one who commandeered your dining room without asking."

"I know. I just... I don't want you to think I was trying to come up with an excuse not to sleep with you, because I so wasn't."

The thought hadn't even occurred to him, as it was clear that she enjoyed being near him as much as he enjoyed her. However, it was obviously weighing heavily on her mind, so he realised he must put her at ease. Pulling her closer, he kissed her hair, whispering in her ear, "In case you're not aware, Jess, you rather wear your heart on your sleeve, which means I think it'll be obvious, to me and everyone else, when you've grown tired of me," he teased.

"I'm not quite as transparent as all that, am I?"

Becker laughed. "The phrase 'plate glass' comes to mind."

"Sorry."

He embraced her even tighter, insisting, "What are you apologising for? I can't stand the sorts of games girls sometimes play - I'd much rather know exactly where I stand."

Jess rolled over in his arms and gave him a quick peck which landed on his chin in the darkness. "So then you don't need for me to tell you how much I fancy you?" she teased, giving him another peck which hit closer to the mark. "Or say how much I enjoy being in your arms?" Another, even closer peck. "Or show you how much I enjoy your touch?" Her next kiss landed squarely on his lips, making him realise she'd been intentionally missing simply to tease. He hungrily kissed back, despite being tired.

He was apparently rather easy to read as well, however, for after a minute she pulled back, saying, "We'd best get our sleep, yeah? I'm sure you'll feel better in the morning."

Yet morning came sooner than expected. When his alarm went off six hours later, he was disheartened to awaken feeling even MORE achy than the day before. He couldn't even fathom the reason until Matt knocked on the dining room door.

"Sorry, Matt - not today," Becker called out.

"Figured as much," Matt replied. "You're always more sore on the second day, yeah?"

He had a point, and it put Becker's mind at ease.

But not Jess's. As Matt headed out for his run, Jess rolled over in Becker's arms, giving him a worried look. "You're sore again?"

Becker shrugged. "Matt's right, though. I'll be fine."

"You sure? I mean, I'm certain Lester would understand if you wanted to-"

"I'll be fine, Jess," he insisted, not wanting to be coddled. Even though he still felt wonky, he was through with being babied.

Jess, however, pouted. "So you don't want me to kiss you and make it better?"

Becker laughed. "I didn't say that," he said, pulling her closer and giving her a long kiss. "In fact," he said as they came up for air, "kissing you ALWAYS makes me feel better."

Jess grinned, and he felt compelled to kiss her again...and again.

Unfortunately, Temple suddenly appeared, peering under the table. "You guys are getting up, aren't you? The Curiosity rover is landing on Mars in just...," he paused as he glanced around the boxes, obviously checking the monitor, "...fifteen minutes." When neither Jess nor Becker made a move to get out of bed, Connor whined, "C'mon! This is history in the making! I don't want to watch it alone."

Becker frowned - why wasn't he harassing Abby instead?

But Jess threw back the covers, sending a sudden chill through Becker.

"You're right. How often do we get to watch space exploration as it happens?"

Becker groaned, and Jess turned back, whispering, "C'mon. Aren't you curious? It'll be fun...and we can cuddle on the sofa while we watch."

The soldier sighed and reluctantly followed Jess out to the front room, upset that his own explorations had been so rudely interrupted.

...

to be continued


	39. Ch 39 BOXING DAY

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 39 - BOXING DAY

...

"Morning, Parker," Lester said as he ambled up to the hub Monday morning. "I take it there was no further excitement this weekend?"

"None...unless you count Mo Farah!" Jess said with a smile.

Lester nodded gravely. "I'm afraid I missed that. Was taking my wife to the train station."

"Oh. Where's she off to?"

Lester sighed. "She decided she couldn't stand all the Olympics hullabaloo, so she's off to visit her mother in Reims for the week."

Jess was surprised. "I never knew your wife was French."

"Shhh!" Lester frantically shushed, furtively looking about Ops as if a national secret had just been disclosed. "Keep your voice down! That's the last thing I need getting round the ARC."

Jess laughed at Lester's paranoia. "You needn't worry - I'm sure no one would care." Lester gave a snort of derision, clearly disagreeing, so she went on, "Though I'm sorry she's away, as I was going to invite her to our dinner tomorrow night."

"Dinner?" Lester asked.

Jess nodded. "They caught loads of perch at the anomaly the other day - don't worry, it was all legal; Matt got a licence and everything - so we're planning a fancy dinner party for tomorrow night. We thought it'd make a nice change from sandwiches and takeaway."

"Tomorrow night, you say?" he asked, nodding thoughtfully. "That'll give me time to pick up some nice wine."

Jess smiled, pleased he was on board. "Lovely!" As Lester started to wander away, Jess called after him, "And you'll find all the incident reports from Saturday waiting for you on your desk."

He nodded, continuing towards his office, as Jess turned back towards the hub. It was Monday, and they were finally back on a regular schedule, so everyone was off actually getting work done for a change, leaving her all alone. Of course, the fact that Team GB wasn't competing in much this morning was also keeping people away. Jess still had the Games on herself, but she placed the shrunken window in the bottom corner of her screen so that she could merely glance at it in-between tasks.

However, it seemed every time she sneaked a look, she was convinced she saw Matt's doppelganger in the crowd. She'd frantically maximize the window, hoping to get a better look, but he'd be gone.

After the fifth time, she reprimanded herself for being so foolish. It was clear she was jumping at shadows, for the doppelganger couldn't possibly be at Eton Dorney, Olympic Stadium, and Earls Court in such quick succession. She was clearly seeing what she wanted to see, and it was making her crazy. So she closed the Games window completely until lunch, when the team gathered round to watch the sailing events as they ate.

"The Bay looks so different in the daylight, don't it?" Connor commented.

Jess reached over and patted Becker reassuringly on the knee, hoping he wasn't thinking about his night diving experience. But before she could speak, Lester came walking over.

"Parker, I forgot to ask - will we be dressing for dinner tomorrow?"

"Oi!" Connor exclaimed. "'Course we'll be dressed - what kind of establishment d'you think Jess is running?"

"Connor," Abby sighed with a roll of her eyes, but Jess simply replied, "That's a lovely idea. I think we should."

"But I did not bring anything nice," Emily said, sounding quite upset.

Matt turned to her, insisting, "You look fine."

Emily shot him an annoyed look. "That is not the point. Work clothes are not the same as dressing for dinner."

"It's not a big deal," Abby said. "You don't need to dress up."

"But if everyone else is-" Emily began, but Becker cut her off.

"I won't be."

Jess turned towards Becker, sorely disappointed to hear it. Despite wanting to comfort Emily, she hadn't said anything because she'd desperately wanted to dress up herself. However, it then occurred to her that Becker was in the same boat as Emily - he'd only packed work clothes, and he wasn't about to break into his flat simply on a whim.

Giving a resigned sigh, Jess said, "Don't worry about it, Emily. None of us will dress up, okay?"

But Emily was still not appeased. "I do not want to ruin everyone else's evening simply because I cannot-"

"No, really," Jess said, sounding more convincing this time. "It's nothing. The dinner will still be lovely, even if we're just in our work clothes." She smiled at her friend, adding, "So have you figured out the menu yet?"

Emily beamed and started telling everyone what was planned. Jess, whilst still disappointed for herself, was at least glad that she'd been able to put Emily's mind at ease.

And as the menu discussion continued, with Connor insisting that they must add cauliflower cheese to their list of side dishes, Becker leant over and whispered in Jess's ear, "You can still dress up if you want, you know."

But she shook her head. "I don't want to make Emily feel bad."

"Then how about Wednesday? It's about time we rescheduled our date from last week, yeah?"

Jess beamed - Becker always knew just what to say.

...

Becker was not looking forward to shifting boxes all evening. He still felt achy and drained of energy, so he was dreading all that physical exertion. And the fact that they were essentially dismantling the only bit of privacy he and Jess had at her flat was also discouraging. However, the dinner sounded like it was going to be pleasant, even if it wasn't really his thing, and he now had his date with Jess on Wednesday to look forward to.

When they arrived home, Temple was already there, parked in front of the telly watching Team GB playing basketball against China. Becker glared at him, hoping the bloke didn't think he'd get away with simply sitting around as they moved his boxes.

"Didn't want to start without you," Connor explained, quickly jumping to his feet. "I figured you had a plan, Jess, and I didn't want to mess it up."

Nice cover, Becker thought with some disdain. Of course, Connor had been flatmates with Jess for over a year, so there was probably something to it.

Jess nodded, saying, "Here's what I thought. We want to do a minimum of moving, so I figured we'd simply leave the boxes that are against the back wall. We need enough space to sit on the two long sides of the table, so we definitely need to shift the boxes on the side nearest the kitchen. Then, depending upon how much room we still need, we might also move a row or two on the other side as well."

Becker nodded - she truly was a brilliant coordinator, even when it came to mundane tasks such as this.

"Let's get this done then, yeah?" Temple said, grabbing up a box and carrying it to the front room.

"Not there," Jess said, running over and showing him where she wanted to tuck the boxes against the windows in the nook.

Becker sighed, not wanting to do this. But at least if they started now, they could then relax for the rest of the evening. He picked up a box and started to carry it to the nook, but Jess came scurrying over, insisting, "I'll get that. You should probably, you know, clear up your kit first," she said, nodding towards his under-table nest.

He frowned. "Then where am I to sleep tonight?"

Now it was Jess's turn to frown, obviously not having thought this through.

Becker quickly went on, "You know, don't worry about it, Jess. I can just sleep in the front room tonight like I did last week."

But Jess didn't seem happy with this answer, and he could practically see the gears turning in her head as she tried to come up with a solution. Suddenly she smiled, declaring, "I have a long tablecloth we can put on tonight which goes all the way to the floor, and then we can simply clear away your bed in the morning. What do you think?"

Becker smiled, glad that he wouldn't be deprived of sleeping with her tonight. "Brilliant," he said, giving her a quick peck.

"Oi," Connor said, passing them on his way to grab another box. "Less kissing, more shifting. I thought this was a group task."

Becker rolled his eyes and reached up for another box that was stacked precariously high. However, as he yanked upon it, the handhold ripped down the side, knocking off the lid and spilling comic books all over the floor.

"Bugger!" he grumbled as Connor insisted, "Careful! Some of them are first editions."

Becker rolled his eyes, stooping to repack the comics before realising he needed to mend the side of the box before he placed too many inside. "Jess, where's your tape?"

"Top drawer, round the corner," Jess said, gesturing with her head as she passed him with a box in her hands.

He picked up the ripped box, from the bottom this time, and placed it atop the counter. Opening the drawer she'd indicated, he was just starting to pull out the strapping tape when something in the back caught his eye. He pulled out the familiar gift bag and glanced inside, surprised at what it contained.

"Jess," he said, turning to where she was just setting down her box, "this is the chocolate bar I gave you for your birthday."

Jess beamed at its mention.

Becker, however, was far from beaming. "Why's it here, Jess?"

Hurrying over, she explained, "I have to keep it hidden," lowering her voice as she added, "or Connor will eat it."

But that's not what he was getting at. "I mean, why haven't YOU eaten it? Your birthday was months ago." He paused as he suddenly realised the answer to his own question. "You didn't like it."

"Are you kidding? It's delicious!

But he didn't quite believe her. "But you haven't eaten it."

"Yes I have," she insisted. "See?" She took the wrapper, still tied with a simple ribbon, out of the bag, and opened it in front of Becker. "I've only got three squares left."

"But why haven't you eaten the rest?"

Jess shrugged, looking embarrassed. "Well...I like to savour things...and I don't want it be finished," she admitted quietly.

Becker laughed. "I could buy you more, you know."

"I know," she said. "I just... I like knowing it's there. As a reminder."

Becker raised an eyebrow. "A reminder of what?"

The simple question caused Jess to blush, and her voice barely squeaked out an embarrassed, "You?"

Becker smiled, pulling her into his arms. "Let me make something clear - I don't ever want to stand in the way of you eating chocolate, yeah?"

She grinned up at him. "Even when I'm old and fat and weigh 15 stone?"

Becker laughed. "I don't foresee that ever happening but yes, even then." He bent down to kiss her when suddenly a breeze blew by.

"Yes, chocolate!" Connor said as he made his way back to the dining room, grabbing up the remaining squares from Jess's hand and stuffing them into his mouth before Becker could stop him.

Turning back to Jess, Becker found her on the verge of tears.

"I'll buy you another tomorrow," he promised, gently taking hold of her shoulders. "I'll buy you TWELVE tomorrow."

But Jess still looked bereft. "Will you put a ribbon on them?" she asked mournfully, like a small child trying to be brave.

He tried not to laugh, promising, "I'll put whatever you want on them."

Jess smiled, and he couldn't help but pull her close for a long kiss.

"C'mon, guys," Temple whined. "I'm doing ALL the work here. Snogging can wait, yeah?"

Becker sighed and let Jess go, turning back to his task of taping up the broken box. But before she left, Jess whispered in his ear, "Don't worry - we can snog in bed tonight...behind the tablecloth!"

He grinned back before returning to Temple's annoying comic book collection, realising the quicker they finished shifting boxes, the sooner he could be "alone" with Jess.

...

to be continued


	40. Ch 40 OUT IN THE OPEN

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 40 - OUT IN THE OPEN

...

By the time the others got home, the boxes were mostly moved.

"Looking good, guys," Abby said, nodding with approval at how much they'd gotten done. Then, catching Jess's eye, she subtly gestured towards the tablecloth strategically hung over the table and smirked.

Jess could feel her cheeks growing warm, so she quickly changed the subject. "So did you find everything?"

Matt nodded as he placed a heavy bag of groceries on the counter. "Even a frock," he replied drily.

"A frock?" Jess asked, convinced she'd misheard.

Emily placed her own grocery bag on the counter before pulling out a plastic bag from within. "I knew how much you wanted to dress for dinner," she said to Jess, "and...well...I rather wanted to myself, so when I saw this in the window next to the green grocer's, I knew I must purchase it." She started for the stairs, calling back, "Let me hang this in the bedroom, and then I shall return to help put the food away."

"Hey, Abby," Connor called from where he'd gotten distracted by another box of comic books, "you get what I asked for?"

"Yes, Connor. I'll just put the berries in the fridge for you, shall I?"

"Berries?" Jess asked, confused. "Wait, you're cooking something?" she asked, turning to her flatmate. "You don't cook."

"What d'you mean, 'I don't cook'?" Connor insisted. "My beans-on-toast is legendary."

"Beans on toast?" Lester asked, horrified. "I thought you said this was going to be a proper dinner."

"I ain't cooking beans-on-toast for dinner," Connor said, as if it were obvious. "I've got something else planned, something secret. A special Olympics-themed appetiser, so to speak. You'll love it, Jess."

But she was wary and quickly shot Abby a look, hoping for some reassurance.

Luckily her flatmate smiled, concurring, "It's cute."

"And tasty," Connor insisted. "Speaking of, what're we eating tonight?"

"We picked up some curry," Matt said, pulling the steaming containers from the bag.

They ate their dinner in front of the Women's Hockey match, which they lost to the Netherlands, before switching over to the women's football semifinals. Team GB was already out of the running, but it was quite enjoyable to watch a match that they had no vested interest in.

And despite only having worked a regular shift today, everyone was still so tired from their three late nights in a row that everyone said their goodnights rather early. Jess was relieved, for she was tired herself...and she wanted more time alone with Becker. As she changed into her pyjamas up in her room, Abby asked, "Sleeping downstairs again tonight?"

Jess nodded before suddenly growing worried. "You two don't mind, do you?"

Emily shook her head. "Why should we mind? It is your home. You may sleep where you like."

Abby nodded. "Just remember, though," she began, a mischievous grin on her face, "tablecloths aren't soundproof."

"Abby!" Jess said, her cheeks growing instantly red. "We're not... I mean, we WOULDN'T, especially not with others in the... we're just sleeping, really." Abby raised a doubtful eyebrow, and Jess amended, "Well...maybe a little snogging, but certainly nothing that's going to keep anyone awake." She suddenly grew uncertain. "That's okay, isn't it? I mean, if you think we shouldn't, I could always-"

"Jess," Abby interrupted her. "I was just teasing you. Go be with your boy."

"You sure?"

"Yes! Go!"

Jess hurried down the stairs, but even from the landing she could see how much more exposed the table now seemed. Abby was right - with the boxes gone, their under-table nest now appeared much more public and out in the open, a fact that made Jess extremely uneasy. After all, she didn't want to make her friends feel uncomfortable, especially as she was their hostess.

Becker seemed to instantly sense something was wrong. "You okay?" he asked as she crawled into bed next to him.

Jess nodded. "I'm fine," she said, though the words didn't sound very convincing, even to her own ears.

"Jess, you know, if you'd rather sleep upstairs with the-"

"No," she said firmly. "It's fine. I just..." She trailed off, not sure how to explain herself without him thinking it had anything to do with him.

Thankfully he nodded, offering, "We're both tired. We should just go to sleep straightaway, yeah?"

Jess beamed. "Yeah, that'd probably be best," she said, extremely relieved. But as he wrapped her in his arms, she whispered into the darkness, "And there's always the cinema Wednesday night, yeah?"

Nestled against his chest, she felt his laughter. "There's always a silver lining with you, isn't there?" he whispered into her ear before placing a tender kiss in her hair.

The action sent a chill through her, and she snuggled even closer to him - it wasn't hard to see the silver lining when she was wrapped in his arms!

...

It hit him the moment he awoke.

The residual soreness from the swimming had distracted him, making him think it was nothing. But now it was crystal clear.

Becker had a cold.

He didn't have a cough or any sinus congestion yet, but it was obvious he'd caught a chill from the river, and his weakened immune system had been powerless to fight off the virus. It was the only way to explain why he felt even worse today.

The past few nights he hadn't bothered to take off his shirt as he slept, and now here he lay shivering, despite the heavy quilt and the softly snoring furnace in his arms. His head was pounding, and his body ached...and he knew it wasn't simply from moving the boxes last night.

No, he definitely had some sort of virus. And he felt miserable.

Yet when his watch alarm went off, he quickly got up. Although he would've loved to stay nestled up with Jess, the last thing he wanted to do was make her sick...and he knew he couldn't trust himself not to kiss her when she smiled up at him with her drowsy, half-opened eyes.

Hell, it was hard enough to tell her no when she grabbed his hand as he tried to stand, pleading, "Don't run. Stay with me."

But he quickly extricated his hand from hers, saying, "I gotta get up, Jess."

Yet he felt differently the moment he stepped outside. There was no way he could keep pace with Matt today, not feeling as miserable as he did.

"Just go on," he told his running partner. "Don't wait for me."

"You okay?" Matt asked. "You're not looking so good."

Becker shook his head. "I think I caught a chill."

"Then go back to bed, mate," Matt said. But Becker merely gave him a look, and the team leader was quick to catch on. "Ah. Right."

"So...just go," Becker repeated.

But Matt shook his head. "Let's go get you some hot tea instead, yeah? The girls don't have to know."

Becker smiled - the idea of getting inside and nursing a hot tea sounded amazing right now. So the two men walked together to the cafe, and Matt insisted Becker sit down as he got the drinks. Just the short walk had winded Becker so he didn't protest, practically collapsing into the same booth they'd all eaten at just over a week ago. Matt soon arrived, two cups of steaming hot tea in his hands. Becker eagerly accepted it, though he was already halfway through the tea before the warm liquid even started to warm him up.

"You know," Matt finally spoke up, "if you wanted to stay home-"

"No," Becker said, adamantly shaking his head. "I don't want Jess coddling me. I mean, it's just a virus, yeah? It's no big deal. And you saw the way she acted with these bloody scratches," he said, gesturing to the bandaged wounds on his forehead. "Can you imagine what a fuss she'd make if she knew I was feeling a bit under the weather?"

The team leader nodded absently. "How're they doing, by the way?"

Not Matt, too! "They're fine," Becker said dismissively.

But Matt didn't look convinced. "Mel said they were quite infected."

Becker was annoyed. "You're checking up on me now?" he snapped.

"Easy." Matt shook his head, stating calmly, "You're my second-in-command, Becker - I have to make sure you're up for the job."

"I'm fine," Becker insisted. "The wounds must've just gotten worse due to the river." Just like the rest of me, he thought.

Matt nodded, checking his watch. "You almost done? We'd best be getting back, if you don't want Jess to suspect."

Becker nodded and downed the last of his tea. It burnt the back of his throat as it went down, yet it somehow felt good.

He just hoped he'd be able to get through the day.

...

to be continued


	41. Ch 41 ANXIOUS APPETISERS

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 41 - ANXIOUS APPETISERS

...

Jess was glad she had the Games to keep her occupied all day because she was anxious about tonight's dinner. For some reason she wanted it to be perfect, even though logically she knew these were the same people she'd been dining with for almost a fortnight. But this was different. It was special. And she didn't want anything to ruin it.

She was thrilled that Emily had bought a new frock. That meant she and the other girls could dress for dinner, making it more like a true party. Jess, of course, was a bit disappointed that Becker didn't have nice clothes to change into. Not that the soldier wouldn't look handsome in anything...or even nothing...but that wasn't the point - the point was to make tonight an occasion, hopefully one they'd all remember, a fond memory of their time spent together during the Olympics.

In the meantime, they had the Games themselves to watch. Both the individual and team dressage events were today, and Team GB had a good chance at some medals. Jess couldn't believe how well the home team was doing - they were ranked fifth in the overall medal standings, which was quite an improvement from the '96 Games, when they'd only taken home a single gold. But the thrill wasn't only about their own wins - Jess was genuinely excited for the success of other countries as well. In fact, Grenada and Cyprus had just yesterday won their first Olympic medals ever! It warmed her heart, seeing how the Games brought so many people together with a common goal of being the best they could be.

Of course, it was also bringing the ARC team together, not simply through their housing situation but at work as well. As in previous days, the team members came and went about the hub throughout the morning, some just stopping by, some pulling up a chair and staying for awhile. Becker, however, seemed strangely absent today, though Jess guessed he was probably just trying to get some actual work done, since he'd been feeling so rotten the last few days. Whilst Jess would've enjoyed seeing him - she ALWAYS enjoyed seeing him - she was glad that he seemed to be feeling better...even if that meant she hadn't gotten a morning cuddle.

It was nearly noon when the much anticipated men's triathlon began with a swim in the Serpentine. As a young girl, Jess had adored Kensington Gardens, for reasons involving faeries and a certain boy who refused to grow up - in fact, a poster of the Serpentine had adorned her bedroom wall well into her teen years - so to watch the Olympic athletes swimming in her magical lake made this race even more special. And the fact that Team GB had a chance of winning, thanks to two brothers from Leeds, made it that much better.

Soon, however, the athletes were out of the water, cycling around a large loop that encircled Hyde Park and Buckingham Palace. Emily came over, and the two girls watched excitedly as the Brownlee brothers continued to excel - hopefully they'd keep up their performance through the footrace as well.

Suddenly, though, as the camera panned across the Palace crowd, following the cyclists as they sped by, Emily gave a small gasp. Jess turned towards her friend, giving her an inquiring look, but Emily merely shook her head, insisting, "Do not mind me. It is of no matter."

But Jess knew it was, for she'd also thought she'd glimpsed Matt's doppelganger in the sea of spectators. "You saw him, too, didn't you?" she asked excitedly, pleased to know she wasn't the only one.

"But certainly it was not he," Emily insisted. "We must be seeing ghosts, yes? For why would he be there?"

Jess shrugged. "Why are WE watching? I mean, if he's stuck in this time, at least for now, surely he might as well make the most of it, yeah?" Emily, however, still looked unconvinced, and Jess felt her own enthusiasm dwindling. "Though you're probably right - I mean what are the odds, yeah? Millions of people at the Olympics, millions of people in LONDON - chances are we'll never find him."

Emily sighed. "It is a shame that you cannot zoom with your equipment. It would be reassuring to know for certain that we are mistaken instead of being left with a lingering doubt." She glanced at her watch, saying, "It is nearly time for our midday meal - I shall go gather the others."

She wandered off, clearly disheartened, but suddenly an idea struck Jess. True, she hadn't been able to zoom in on the crowd of equestrian spectators last week, but that was because the photo had already been taken, the pixels already set. But live camera feeds were different - they had Pan-Tilt-Zoom capabilities, which is what allowed them to capture such images of the cyclists riding by.

Jess turned back to the hub, her fingers flying across the keys. She had no idea if she could do this, so she didn't want to say anything to the others yet, didn't want to get their hopes up. But she'd hacked into more difficult things in the past - surely this wouldn't be so hard. And once she was in, she could determine, once and for all, if she were just seeing things...

Or if Matt's doppelganger really was still here.

...

Becker had managed to get through the day simply by tucking himself away in the armoury where he didn't have to deal with anyone. It took way too much energy to pretend he was fine. Of course, he'd have no choice but to do that tonight, but in the meantime it was far easier to simply be alone, to rest up and conserve his energy so he'd have the strength to get through dinner. He'd thought about going to medical to see if they had any sort of cold meds he could take, though he still hadn't progressed symptom-wise to anything more than a mild fevre and body aches; however, he didn't trust the medic not to spill so he decided to just tough it out on his own. After all, it was only a cold - he'd survived worse.

Of course, it wasn't only Jess from whom he was now hiding his condition. He still couldn't believe Matt had gone to medical to check up on him! What happened to medic/patient confidentiality? Clearly he was going to need to keep up appearances whilst around Matt as well or else the team leader was liable to send him home and then the gig would be good and up.

Thanks to the Games, Becker survived the midday meal without anyone noticing he was under the weather. After downing his food quickly, Becker sneaked off before the triathlon footrace finished, though he heard through the grapevine that Team GB had managed to secure both the gold and the bronze. This pleased Becker, not merely because of a sense of national pride but because it was certain to put Jess in a cheerful mood, thus making her less likely to notice that he wasn't giving her much attention. Luckily she hadn't seemed surprised that he'd stayed away from the hub all day, but she was bound to get suspicious when he refused to give her a goodnight kiss. Hopefully the dinner - and the Olympics - would keep her from noticing...at least until he was certain he was no longer contagious.

The drive home was a breeze, as Jess was excitedly filling him in on all the Olympics news, including Team GB's gold medal in team dressage and silver in RS-X sailing.

"And did you know that, with the Brownlees' wins, an independent Yorkshire would actually rank tenth in the medal rankings?" she gushed. "Athletes from that county alone have now won five golds, two silvers, and three bronzes - that puts them ahead of the Netherlands, Japan, and even Australia. How mental is that?"

Becker nodded, trying to seem keen. He somehow sensed that there was something else underlying Jess's giddiness, though he imagined it was just her excitement over dinner.

She insisted they stop at the bakery on the drive home so she could pick up some bread and a torte (chocolate, of course) for dessert. He managed to get out of going inside with her by insisting his parking was dodgy and thus daren't leave his car. This allowed him one last reprieve, one last moment alone, when he needn't pretend he was fine, before this evening started.

Upon arriving at the flat, the cooking was already well underway...as was the drinking. Lester had bought plenty of expensive alcohol for the occasion, and everyone, it seemed, was already partly through their first glass of sherry. Becker pulled up a chair to the counter and sat down, pouring himself a glass, glad his kitchen responsibilities had ended with the bakery so he could simply rest up and watch the others.

"How you gonna explain all this to your wife, Lester?" Connor asked over his shoulder as he stood in the corner, shielding his culinary activities from the others. "You know, buying all this fancy wine and dining with three such beautiful ladies and all?"

Lester shrugged. "My wife and I have an understanding."

The general hubbub of the kitchen came to an abrupt halt as everyone turned to stare at Lester.

"Um...an understanding?" Abby repeated warily as she wiped her onion-teared eyes upon her sleeve.

Lester nodded. "I understand that if I ever so much LOOK at another woman, she'll have my guts for garters."

Everyone laughed, clearly relieved that their guv'nor would not be hitting on any of those present tonight, and resumed their tasks.

"Careful," Matt said as Emily came down hard against the cutting board with the knife. "Remember, these knives are sharp, yeah?"

Emily nodded. "Yes, it is such a change from what we had to make do with through the gateways." She brought the knife down hard against the perch again, this time severring its head. "And it is so nice that we get to throw these away - I believe I have had more than enough fish-head broth to last me a lifetime."

"You, too?" Abby asked, and the conversation momentarily dissolved into a discussion of survivalist cooking techniques. Becker sat and quietly sipped his sherry, glad that no one noticed he wasn't joining in, likely assumed he simply had nothing to contribute on this topic.

Finally, Temple turned around, singing a proud, "Ta da!" as he held out his finished plate. "May I present tonight's very own Olympic-themed _amuse-bouche_, for your eating pleasure."

Everyone stopped and stared at the appetiser he'd prepared. Strawberries, blueberries, and mini marshmallows had been placed on skewers such that, lined up as they were on the plate, they formed a Union Jack.

"That's such a cute idea, Connor," Jess gushed as she reached for a skewer. However, as she started to lift it, she suddenly had second thoughts. "It looks so lovely, I don't want to ruin it."

"You're not ruining it," Connor insisted. "You're meant to eat 'em - that's kinda the whole point."

Jess nodded, but Becker could tell she still didn't want to be the first to disrupt the design. To help her out, Becker reached across the counter, taking the skewer in the middle that contained only strawberries, and Jess then proceeded to quickly take one of her own.

Lester, however, was anything but thrilled. "These hardly count as _hors d'oeuvres_," he said with some disdain.

"Oi, what you mean? They're legit - I got the recipe on-line. Besides, it took me ages to get them all lined up right," Temple insisted, grabbing up the printout he'd made with each skewer's pattern carefully laid out.

"They're lovely, Connor," Abby insisted, giving him a quick peck as she took one of the skewers. "Thank you for contributing."

But Lester gave a loud harumph. "I just hope the rest of the meal lives up to my _aperitif_ - this sherry wasn't cheap, you know."

"Careful," Jess said. "Keep making faces like that, and you might find a 'Lester is not impressed' meme popping up round the net...or at least on all the ARC computers." She crossed her arms in front of her chest and made an exaggerated scowl, and the others all laughed. Becker felt as if he were missing something, having stayed away from the hub all day, and realised he must ask Jess about it later.

"So my stuff's done," Temple concluded, grabbing up a skewer and biting a marshmallow off the end. "How soon till the rest is ready? I'm starved."

"Just hold your horses, Connor," Abby insisted. "It'll be ready soon enough. Why don't you go help Jess finish setting the table?"

Becker looked over, realising Jess had been hard at work getting everything ready whilst he'd been sitting here like a lump. He felt guilty, contributing so little to the preparations, and was about to stand when Connor whined, "Why me? Becker's not helping neither." Of course, it was exactly what the soldier himself had just been thinking, but he hated to hear the accusation coming from Temple.

Thankfully Abby spoke up on Becker's behalf. "Connor, he's a guest. You live here. Go help."

"What'd you mean? Becker lives here...for now, at least. I mean, he's been sleeping with Jess every-"

"Connor! Go help!"

"Fine, fine," Temple grumbled, slinking off towards the dining room.

Becker flashed Abby a grateful smile and she merely shrugged. "Wanted him out of the kitchen," she whispered, and Becker couldn't help but grin.

...

to be continued

A/N: Since Becker never gets round to asking Jess about the "Lester is not impressed" meme, I figured I'd best explain it to those readers who didn't obsessively follow the Games. This particular day of the Olympics a meme called "McKayla is not impressed" started round the net. American gymnast McKayla Maroney fell on her behind during her second vault and thus ended up winning "only" the silver medal, not the gold that she'd hoped for. Whilst on the medal platform, a photographer took a photo of her with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. This photo went viral as people started pasting the image into famous photos, such as the men landing on the moon. Many were quite clever, and McKayla was even able to laugh at herself as well, posing later with President Obama with them both making the face together! If you haven't seen it, you should google "McKayla is not impressed". I just liked the image of Lester making a similar face and Jess posting it all round the ARC, and I hope my readers do, too!

Also, happy holidays to all!


	42. Ch 42 A DINING DISASTER

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 42 - A DINING DISASTER

...

Once the table was set and the food almost ready, it was time for the girls to get dressed. Matt was placed in charge of sauteing the last of the filets as Abby announced to the others, "We'll be back in ten. And DON'T start without us, Connor," shaking her finger at her fiance, who quickly put down his butter knife, trying to look innocent.

Jess followed the other girls up the stairs, pleased that everything was going so smoothly. Her only regret was that the boys wouldn't be dressing up as well, but alas, Connor had already packed away his dinner jackets in some unlabelled box and it simply didn't seem worth the effort of the search. But if that was the biggest disappointment of the evening, then she couldn't really complain.

"What shall you be wearing tonight, Jess?" Emily asked, pulling out her new frock and laying it upon the bed.

But Jess hadn't decided. She'd intended to spend her afternoon planning her outfit, but instead she'd been too busy concentrating on hacking into the Olympic camera feeds. While she hadn't yet succeeded, she was nearly there, and she was certain she'd be in by midday tomorrow at the latest. Of course, she couldn't tell her friends what she'd been up to, not yet anyway, not until she'd succeeded in hunting down Matt's doppelganger. But if and when she did, perhaps it would help answer everyone's questions about the future.

In the meantime, she needed to answer Emily's question about tonight. "Um... I'm not sure what to wear."

"Don't you have a frock with fish on it?" Abby suggested, entering with an outfit she'd grabbed from her own bedroom. "That'd be appropriate, yeah?"

Jess nodded, considering the suggestion. It was a simple summer frock, not at all the sort of fancy outfit she'd envisioned herself wearing tonight. She quickly searched her closet and held the fish frock up, scrutinising it. She hadn't worn the cheery blue cotton print in ages and had forgotten just how short the skirt was...and just how low-cut the top. She suddenly imagined Becker trying to keep his eyes off of her and eagerly ripped the frock off the hanger, knowing she'd found a winner.

As Jess stepped out of her current skirt, Emily turned her back, asking, "Might you fasten me?"

Jess quickly did up her friend's zip. "Done. Let me see." Emily turned around, and Jess's jaw dropped. "You look positively stunning."

"Don't she, though?" Abby agreed, grinning. "I encouraged her to buy it - thought it would make...quite an impression," she finished with a wink.

Emily blushed, stating, "If you recall, I do not wish to pursue anything further with Matt at present. He may be leaving at any moment, so what would be the purpose?" As she'd spoken, she'd taken her hair out of the haphazard bun she'd tied it into whilst cooking and began to run a wide-toothed comb through her long curls - how Jess wished her own hair would curl like that!

"The purpose," Abby began, "would be to make the most out of the time you two have together. I mean, I have no guarantee that Connor will survive tomorrow - hell, sometimes I think I might even kill him myself - but that doesn't mean we're not going to get married. We - all of us - live dangerous lives, but we can't simply put our happiness on hold indefinitely. We should seize the day, _carpe diem_ and all that. So Emily, I say go for it." She flashed a wicked grin as she finished, "And I gotta say, that frock is a good place to start, as it practically screams, 'Take me now'."

"Abby!" Jess scolded - clearly the sherry was making her flatmate a bit looser-tongued than usual. Turning to Emily, she insisted, "Don't listen to her." When Emily frowned, Jess quickly amended, "I mean DO, about the other stuff, but not about the frock. It's lovely, and you should wear it, no matter what your intentions with Matt."

"Are you certain?" Emily asked, self-consciously pulling at her frock, obviously having doubts. "I do not wish to appear coquettish."

"You don't," Abby insisted. "You look lovely. I was merely teasing. It's just...I want to see you two happy, you know?" She patted her friend on the back. "Let's just go down and enjoy this dinner. You can decide how you want to proceed with Matt later...perhaps when you two finally take your Parisian holiday together, yeah?"

Emily nodded, a small smile starting to form, only to be interrupted by a loud, "Oi! It's been ten, Abby. If you don't hurry up, we're starting without you."

"Don't you dare, Connor!" Abby yelled back. "We'll be right down." She then turned to the other girls, adding, "As I was saying, about wanting to kill him...," and they all laughed as they scurried out of the bedroom and down the stairs.

...

Becker was actually enjoying dinner. The hot food was tasty and helped to warm his chill, as did Jess's frock, which seemed to highlight all her best features. He was pleased he was sat next to her because, as far as he was concerned, he had the best view in the house. Lester, sat at the head of the table, probably had a good view as well, but thankfully their boss had clarified his "understanding" with his wife or else Becker might've insisted Jess sit in the far corner instead.

Even better than the view, though, was the conversation, which Jess was skillfully manoeuvring from one pleasant topic to the next. She might not have contributed much foodwise, but this dinner party was definitely all hers, and Becker was proud just to sit and listen. It was a relief having someone so socially skilled at his side.

The best part, however, was that, with so many friends present, jovial and talkative from all the wine, no one was paying much attention to him. This allowed Becker to simply sit and observe, which took about all the energy he had at present.

Currently they were discussing Paris, and Lester was regaling them with a dry, self-deprecating account of his honeymoon.

"A winter honeymoon in Paris," Jess said with a moony sigh. "It sounds so...dreamy!"

"You say 'dreamy'; I say 'dreary'," Lester said with a shrug. "Po-tae-to, po-tah-to."

"Oh, c'mon - it can't have been as bad as all that," Jess insisted.

"Yeah," Connor said. "I mean, London can be a drizzly mess in winter, too."

"Yes, but in London you're not so likely to have to share your umbrella with a Frenchman."

"Lester!" Jess scolded. "Don't be mean. After all, your wife is..." She suddenly stopped short before awkwardly finishing with, "...happy, I'm sure, to share her umbrella with anyone."

Lester gave Jess a thankful nod, making Becker wonder what that had been about.

"Well, it sounds like you two had a lovely time," Abby said, clearly seeing through Lester's sarcasm. "Connor and I must speak to you and Emily sometime about what we should be planning for our own honeymoon."

"Emily?" Becker repeated blankly, for he'd thought Lester's wife was named Anne.

"The perch is quite lovely, Emily," Jess suddenly blurted out, almost as if she were purposefully trying to change the topic. "As is all the food. I'm so glad we decided to have a proper dinner together. Thank goodness for the anomaly, yeah? Otherwise it might've simply been another night of Chinese takeaway, yeah?"

Matt, however, seemed to be changing the topic once again as he turned to Emily, frowning. "So when were you planning on telling me?"

"Let us not discuss this now, Matt."

"You know," Jess began, "I never knew fresh fish could taste so...fresh! Perhaps we could all go fishing together some weekend - we don't have to wait for another anomaly, you know. In fact, a weekend fishing trip together could be jolly good fun, don't you think?"

"So that's what this trip was about, yeah?" Matt said to Emily as if Jess had never spoken. "You chose Paris...because of your husband?"

"My DEAD husband," Emily replied pointedly.

"Jess is right," Lester stepped in. "In my opinion, fresh fish always tastes best. That's one of the benefits of living in London, we've easy access to-"

"Your dead husband whom you still dream about," Matt countered harshly.

"Nightmares, Matt; nothing more," Emily stated simply, but at Matt's scoff, she elaborated. "Do you not remember? He was going to lock me away, his own wife. And if that alone were not difficult enough to bear, he shot me, and probably would have killed me, too, had the raptor not-" She shuddered at the memory before going on. "Do you think that does not haunt me? Do you think I do not wonder every day what my life would have been like had you not come for me?"

"Would you care for more potatoes, Matt?" Jess asked, offering the bowl across the table, clearly uncomfortable at the intimate conversation they were all witnessing.

Unfortunately, the team leader took neither the bowl nor the hint. "Yet you wouldn't come back with me when I asked you to."

"Because I was home, Matt. Unlike you, I never intended to go away, to be gone so long. After three years, I finally had my life back. Besides," Emily continued, her voice growing softer, "you had sent me away once...and I had no guarantee you would not do so again."

"Emily. I never wanted..." He trailed off uncomfortably.

She nodded. "I know. You had a job to do. And that is why I left. I did not wish to stand in your way, to be a-"

"The cauliflower cheese is quite tasty, Matt," Jess blurted out, clearly not wanting Emily to say the dreaded "d" word aloud. "As is the steamed asparagus. Perhaps you could give me some cooking lessons sometime, yeah, as I'm absolute rubbish when it comes to preparing vegetables."

Becker could tell Jess was growing desperate, but he was too stunned to offer her any aid. Besides, it was like watching a train wreck, and it was clear that all the flag-waving in the world wasn't going to be enough to stop it.

"I needed you to go, Emily," Matt went on, "but when you..." He shook his head, clearly searching for the proper words. Finally he stated, "Your leaving made me realise my father'd been wrong, that some things were more important than our mission."

"And now?" Emily asked pointedly. "You have a new mission, and what does that mean for me? One minute we are ready to leave on holiday, the next you are-"

"A holiday you lied to me about," Matt interrupted bitterly.

"More wine?" Jess asked, reaching for the bottle, though Becker was certain the last thing Emily needed was more alcohol.

The former Victorian shook her head, though whether in response to Jess's question or Matt's comment, it was unclear. "I never lied."

Matt shrugged, amending, "You weren't upfront anyway."

"And you were with me?" Emily shot back. "How long has it been since you had the visit from your future self, Matt? How many months have you known you might simply slip away the moment a gateway appeared and yet you never spoke of it?"

Matt shook his head dismissively. "That's different."

"Yes, it is different, Matt. It is far more important than the reason for some silly holiday."

"Would anyone care for more bread?" Jess asked, offering the loaf to the rest of the table, but the others, like Becker, were all spell-bound, caught up in the drama unfolding before them.

Matt grumbled under his breath, "Still being in love with your husband seems fairly important to me."

"I am NOT still in love with him," Emily insisted. "I never was. I told you that."

"Yeah...when you finally got round to mentioning you were married."

Emily shook her head. "I never hid that from you."

"Yeah, well...I guess I was too busy rescuing you from that tree-creeper to notice your wedding band."

"And, if you recall, I then rescued you in turn," Emily pointed out matter-of-factly, clearly not willing to be cast as the damsel in distress.

"You know, all of us have taken turns doing the rescuing," Jess blurted out, clearly trying a different tactic. "I mean, I might've saved Becker's life by diffusing that bomb, but he took care of me during the beetle incursion. Something similar could probably be said for everyone at this table - we've each done our bit for the others, so there's no point in keeping score."

"213 to 198!" Temple announced. When all eyes turned to him, he amended, "Well, I s'pose it's more like 197 and a half. But that's me and Abby's."

His fiance was clearly surprised. "You kept count?"

"'Course. Though that ain't even including the Cretaceous, since that was almost a daily thing."

"Connor, I can't believe you kept score all these years." It wasn't clear whether Abby was pleased or sore.

"And what's with the half?" Lester asked, intrigued.

Connor ducked his head, looking somewhat chagrinned. "Well, I figure shooting Abby with the tranquiliser gun probably shouldn't count as a whole."

Becker shook his head. He couldn't believe Temple had kept score through the years - and, to be honest, he thought the numbers seemed a bit low. More importantly, he couldn't believe that Connor had succeeded in doing what Jess hadn't, breaking the spell and changing the topic. Becker was frankly shocked that Matt and Emily had aired all their dirty laundry in front of everyone. Of course, he should've known, from past experience, that Emily simply shouldn't be allowed to drink, but he'd no clue that it would cause Matt to open up as well.

"I think it's time for dessert," Jess announced suddenly, jumping to her feet. "Connor, you don't mind if we use the rest of your strawberries, do you?"

"Be my guest. There's leftover blueberries and marshmallows as well."

"Yeah, not sure how well those would go with the chocolate torte," Abby commented, standing up as well and starting to clear the plates.

"What'd you mean? Marshmallows go with everything."

Abby ignored her fiance, stating, "We've just got to go whip up the cream and put on some coffee, and we'll be right back. Emily, would you care to join us?"

Ah, so that was it - a girl conference in the kitchen. Becker watched as they all scurried away. But Jess, ever the consummate hostess, hurried back to the table to remove more plates, saying, "Connor, you've been watching the progress with the Mars rover, yeah? I'm sure the others would love to hear all about it."

As she turned to go, Becker flashed Jess a grateful smile, pleased that she wasn't going to abandon the table to awkward silence, even if it meant having to listen to Temple prattle on about science.

...

to be continued


	43. Ch 43 INTIMATE INTENTIONS

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 43 - INTIMATE INTENTIONS

...

As soon as they reached the kitchen, Abby started apologising. "Emily, I am SO sorry," she said as she pulled the cream out of the refrigerator. "I really didn't mean to give away your secret like that. I don't know what happened. It just kind of...slipped out. Really, I am so dreadfully sorry."

"Abby, please, do not fret," Emily insisted. "It does not matter. Matt would have found out eventually."

"Yeah, but probably not in quite so public a venue," Abby said, pouring the cream into a bowl as Emily began to whisk it.

"Are you...okay?" Jess asked, worried about her friend - after all, she knew how upsetting it could be to have such a public altercation.

Emily nodded. "But I do not understand him. He is angry that I was not upfront about our holiday, yet he, too, has been keeping secrets. He wants me to be honest, but then he twists my words around...or does not listen to them at all. And he tells me I am a distraction and then wonders why I did not jump when he called."

"Yeah, he's definitely the King of Mixed Signals," Abby concurred.

Emily was beating the cream so furiously that it was already starting to thicken. Jess quickly got out the sugar and added it to the bowl as she defended, "Well, you have conflicting feelings yourself about what you want. Perhaps he's in the same boat?"

Emily stopped her whisking to glare at Jess, and Abby followed suit.

Under their intense stares, Jess gulped nervously and clarified, "What I mean is, maybe he's just as confused as you are about whether to, you know, pursue something further? I mean, he's obviously insecure..."

"Insecure?" Abby snorted with derision as Emily resumed her whisking. "How do you figure?"

"Well, clearly he's worried that Emily is still...you know..."

"I am not still in love with Henry!" Emily said adamantly, taking her anger out on the cream. "I never was. And Matt knows that. I told him so."

Jess shook her head. "But maybe he needs to hear it again. I mean, I don't know about Matt, but when I'm feeling unsure about something, it takes more than simply being told once before I'm convinced."

Abby sighed. "Jess has a point. Perhaps he's acting this way because he simply doesn't know where he stands."

But Emily shook her head. "Certainly Matt knows how I feel."

"But clearly he doesn't," Jess said. "I mean, have you ever told him? Obviously you two are close and care for each other, but have you actually let him know that you're interested in more? If he's not certain - and it seems he's not - perhaps he's afraid to take that risk, to cross that line and potentially lose your friendship."

"But he is bound to lose my friendship anyway when he disappears back to the future," Emily pointed out bitterly. "Besides, Matt is no coward - he takes risks every day."

"Yeah," Abby reluctantly conceded, "but facing down dinosaurs and facing up to your feelings are two very different things. Trust me, I know - the latter is FAR more terrifying."

Jess didn't necessarily agree. Of course, as Becker had pointed out, she herself tended to constantly wear her heart on her sleeve, so for her there wasn't much to face up to. Matt and Emily, on the other hand, each tended to play one's cards close to one's chest. So perhaps, for them, letting their feelings out was far more upsetting for it meant allowing themselves to be vulnerable, something neither of them seemed particularly good at. Of course, hiding their vulnerability had no doubt helped them both survive difficult lives, but it certainly didn't make their relationship any easier. If only the two of them could just have a calm discussion and lay everything out on the table...

Just not the dinner table!

In the meantime, Jess realised that the cream was liable to turn to butter if Emily continued to whip it. Quickly pulling the bowl away from her friend, she explained, "That's enough. If you don't stop now, it's liable to separate, and then there's no going back."

Emily considered this a moment. "I believe you are correct," she said cryptically, turning on her heels and storming towards the dining room.

Jess and Abby shared a panicked look before hurrying after their friend. They rounded the corner just as Emily demanded, "I wish to know your intentions, Matt."

"Oi! I was talking!" Connor exclaimed, but Abby's death glare quickly shut him up.

"Pardon?" Matt asked, bewildered, as he looked up at the girl now towering over him, her arms stubbornly folded across her chest.

"You heard me. Your intentions. Towards me. I want to know."

Matt frowned, glancing nervously about at the others before saying softly, "Emily, this isn't the time-"

"Then what time would you like, Matt? The Cretaceous? Devonian? 1867 perhaps?" she asked pointedly. "I believe we have seen plenty of times together, yet you have not once made your intentions clear."

Jess was staring, her mouth agape, at this turn of events. Talk about awkward! She was so shocked, it didn't even occur to her to try to stop this train wreck.

"Emily," Matt began again, a hint of warning in his voice, "I really don't think-"

"How long have I lived with you, Matt, and yet we are still nothing more than brother and sister. Is that all I may expect? Is that all we shall ever be? It seems that was not always the case...or am I mistaken? Do you not wish for more?" Her voice cracked with emotion as she concluded, "Must one of us be saying goodbye before I ever feel your lips upon mine again?"

Matt had clearly been growing more and more uncomfortable as she spoke, triggering all his defense mechanisms. Like a cornered animal, he lashed out at her, his tone steady but wry. "You mean for the mere cost of a kiss I could have the flat to myself again?" He gave a joyless chuckle. "Wish I'd known that months ago."

In an instant, Matt's face was doused in wine and Emily was storming up the stairs. Matt didn't even take the time to grab a napkin before he was chasing after her.

"Emily, I-" he called out as the door to Jess's bedroom was slammed shut, presumably in his face.

"Dessert in the front room?" Becker asked, suddenly jumping to his feet.

"What?" Jess asked, completely dumbfounded by what she'd just witnessed. But at Becker's stern look, she suddenly realised what he was getting at. Sat as they were in the dining room, they were liable to hear most every word echoing down the stairwell, whereas the front room was further away...and had the telly to cover up what no one wanted to overhear.

"Yes," Jess said, nodding vigorously, "let's all adjourn to the front room, shall we? We can have our coffee and torte whilst we watch the Games."

And everyone jumped at their hostess's offer.

...

Dessert was presumably tasty, but no one seemed to notice - they all seemed to be in a daze, shocked by what they'd just witnessed.

Frankly, Becker felt a bit sorry for Matt. True, what the bloke had said was well-nigh unforgivable, but Emily had placed him in one hell of an awkward position confronting him like that. Becker knew Matt liked Emily - the team leader's jaw had almost hit the floor when she'd walked in tonight in her new form-fitting frock - but he also knew Matt wasn't about to confess such feelings in front of the others. He was a private person - he'd had to be in order to keep his identity a secret for his mission - and Emily should've known better than to demand such personal answers in such a public venue. Of course, Emily herself tended to be quite reserved as well, at least when there was no alcohol involved, which probably explained why the two of them hadn't addressed this topic months ago. So perhaps, despite ruining everyone's dinner, it was a godsend that tonight's events had happened, for maybe the two of them would finally be able to talk it all out.

However, Becker could tell Jess wasn't seeing it this way. She was tense and upset over what had happened and couldn't even enjoy her chocolate torte, let alone the Games. Becker would've liked nothing better than to pull her close and console her, to stroke her hair and tell her everything was going to be okay. Unfortunately, he daren't risk it - he'd never forgive himself if he infected her with his cold! So instead he opted to sit on the floor and rub her feet, for it was a way to cuddle with minimal germ-spreadage.

About an hour after the feuding couple had disappeared upstairs, Jess leant forward and whispered in Becker's ear, "Do you think Emily's okay?"

Becker snorted. "I think we should be more worried about Matt at present."

Jess, however, glanced nervously in the direction of the stairs...and the table that had yet to be cleared. "Should we...I don't know...go check on them?"

Becker shook his head. If the couple were talking things through, the last thing they needed was an interruption. "I'm sure they're fine. It's not as if we've heard anything breaking," he joked, hoping to get a smile out of her. When he didn't, he hurried on, "Let's just leave them be and let them talk."

But clearly Jess was anxious, and just sitting here wasn't helping.

"C'mon," Becker finally said, getting to his feet and giving Jess a hand up. "Let's go clear the table, yeah?"

Jess gave a small smile, clearly grateful to be given a task. As they headed towards the kitchen, Abby asked, "You two want a hand?"

Becker shook his head. "We've got this," he answered, and Abby replied with an understanding nod.

However, as they approached the dining room, their pace slowed, nervous about what they might overhear. In order to spare Jess, Becker went on ahead, warily stepping up to the table and surreptitiously glancing up the stairs. "They're inside," he reported, and Jess breathed a sigh of relief as she, too, dared come round the corner.

The table, of course, was just as they'd left it, with the remaining food still set out...and Emily's wine glass still on its side next to Matt's place. Becker quickly set the glass upright, imagining the sight might upset Jess. He, on the other hand, was strangely pleased by the wine stains upon the tablecloth, for they meant that the cloth would have to be removed, destroying any privacy he and Jess might've had under the table tonight. For as much as he would've liked to sleep with her, to hold her tight and comfort her, he knew he daren't whilst he was likely still contagious.

Before long, the table was cleared and they'd put away what was left of the food, which, frankly, wasn't much. Becker could sense, however, that Jess was still quite upset about how things had turned out, so he tried to console her. "The dinner was lovely, Jess. I think everyone really enjoyed it."

"Enjoyed it?" Jess repeated hysterically. "Are you mad? It was a total disaster! Everyone was miserable...and still is, from the looks of it. And all I wanted was a nice, friendly-"

"Jess," Becker said, forgetting his resolution to stay away and instead pulling her into a close embrace, "none of this is your fault. And really, until they started going at it, everyone was having a grand time. So don't worry. No one blames you."

Jess looked up at him, her big, blue eyes searching for more reassurance. "You sure?"

"Yes, Jess." It took everything in his power not to passionately kiss her! Instead, he placed a caring peck upon her forehead, guessing there wasn't much risk of her catching his cold from that simple action, before saying, "C'mon, let's get back to the Games - we don't want to miss the men's high jump medals, do we?"

Jess smiled. "And maybe you can...rub my feet some more?" she asked hopefully.

Becker nodded. "I'd be happy to."

For it meant he'd be far less tempted to press his germ-filled lips to hers!

...

to be continued


	44. Ch 44 AFTERMATH & ANTICIPATION

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 44 - AFTERMATH & ANTICIPATION

...

As in the past several days, Jess awoke to the comforting scent of Becker holding her in his arms. But as consciousness slowly crept in and she began to shiver, her memories of last night started to return...and she realised that, despite being enveloped in his scent, she was, in fact, alone.

When midnight had approached, Lester gave a loud yawn and stood. "I'd best be heading towards bed."

Jess couldn't believe he was going to go upstairs, especially as, except for clearing the table, everyone had avoided leaving the safety of the front room all evening. "You're actually going...? I mean, are you sure you want to...? Perhaps that's not the best idea," she stated awkwardly.

Lester shot her a look. "What are you stammering about, Parker? You don't really expect me to stay up all night, do you? I signed on for dinner, not some all-night, team-building event."

"She means the bedroom," Abby explained. "Matt and Emily are still upstairs, remember?"

"So?" Lester said with a shrug. "I'm perfectly capable of shutting the door. In fact, with Mr. Grabby Hands in the flat-"

"Oi! How many times I gotta apologise?" Connor exclaimed.

"The walls are thin," Becker stated matter-of-factly, obviously remembering Emily's comments about what she'd heard through the walls.

Abby shrugged. "Well, they're not really THAT thin."

Becker raised his eyebrows meaningfully at her. "Thin enough," he said simply, and Abby's cheeks suddenly started to turn red as she understood the implications of his words.

To try to allay Abby's embarrassment, Jess quickly suggested, "I think it might be best, Lester, if you slept down here with us tonight. I'm sure they'd rather have some privacy, in case they're still arguing..." And especially if they weren't!

Lester gave a resigned sigh. "Fine, fine. But I get the sofa then."

Each having previously spent a night on the uncomfortable sofa, no one protested.

But as they all stood up and started preparing for bed, Jess glanced over at the dining room table where she and Becker had slept together the past several nights, shielded first by boxes and then the tablecloth. The boxes, however, were still tucked away in the nook, and the tablecloth was now covered in wine and folded neatly on the counter, in desperate need of laundering. Jess had felt rather exposed last night, with only the tablecloth for privacy, so there was no way she'd feel comfortable sleeping with Becker tonight with nothing to shield them, especially with their boss nearby. So Jess anxiously pulled Becker aside.

"I think we should sleep apart tonight," she whispered nervously, worried about his reaction. "With the tablecloth dirty and Lester down here, I simply don't feel-"

"Jess," Becker interrupted her with a smile. "It's fine. Not a problem."

Jess beamed - she was so grateful that he wasn't going to push the issue. "Thanks for understanding," she said, leaning in to give him a kiss.

However, before her lips could touch his, he pulled back, frowning. "What are you going to wear to sleep in?" he asked.

The question hadn't even occurred to her, but he had a point - all her bedclothes were up in her room. "Um...this, I suppose," she said, gesturing to her frock.

"Isn't it a bit...draughty?" he teased. "Especially as you'll be by yourself." Before she could reply, he went on, "You know what? I'll just give you one of my tees to sleep in. You'll probably swim in it, but I reckon it has twice the fabric of that frock," he teased.

She smiled, pleased that he was so worried about her, and followed him over to his kit. But as he pulled a clean shirt out of his holdall, Jess blurted out, "Might I have the one you're wearing?"

Becker turned to her, an eyebrow raised. "I've been wearing it all day, Jess. Surely you'd prefer-"

"It smells like you," she whispered, her cheeks growing warm as soon as the words were out. Becker frowned, almost as if he were concerned she might catch the dreaded lurgy or something, so she quickly amended, "If you'd rather not..."

"No, Jess. It's fine. I...uh...yeah...I have one you can wear." He sorted through his bag and produced another tee. Jess wasn't sure what the difference was, as all his black tees looked alike to her, but she was pleased she'd get to fall asleep surrounded by his musky scent.

And clearly it'd worked, for she'd dozed off quickly and was only just now remembering that she wasn't in his arms. As she lay on the floor, the morning light just starting to stream in, she inhaled deeply, revelling in the familiar scent.

"Parker!" Lester broke the spell by barking loudly as he sat up. "Remind me, the moment we reach the office, to write you a bonus cheque." He awkwardly rolled off the couch with much groaning as he clutched his lower back in pain.

"Bonus cheque?" Jess repeated, thoroughly confused.

Lester nodded vigorously. "To be used to purchase a new sofa immediately. You really should put some sort of warning sign on this one. Better yet, you should alert the U.N., as I believe you may be breaking the Geneva Conventions by even owning such a torturous device."

"Didn't sleep well, eh?" Connor asked.

"What do YOU think?" Lester grumbled as he hobbled towards the stairs. "I'm showering first - hopefully the hot water can somehow coerce my back to straighten."

As Jess watched her boss hobble round the corner, she suddenly realised that Matt had surreptitiously entered during Lester's tirade and was now quietly digging through his kit in the corner. She wasn't sure what to say to him, though she was relieved to see he was still in one piece!

Abby must've noticed him as well for she nodded to Jess, saying, "Shall we go up and change then?"

Jess gave a resigned sigh - she'd just as soon wear Becker's shirt all day. However, she then remembered what tonight held in store - she and Becker were FINALLY getting their date together - so she cheerfully stood and followed her flatmate up the stairs.

The moment Abby hesitantly knocked, Emily opened the door. Jess noticed her friend was still in her frock from the night before, looking slightly dishevelled, though that could simply be from sleeping in it.

"Good morning," Abby said with a grin. "You...okay?"

Emily nodded. "I am sorry we kept the room all night."

Jess shook her head. "No need to apologise. You obviously needed some privacy, yeah? Is...everything okay?"

"Yes. Thank you." And that was it. Jess realised that, with the alcohol worn off, they'd probably get no further details from the former Victorian.

So Jess turned her attention towards her wardrobe, eager to pick out the perfect outfit for her date tonight.

...

So far, today was going infinitely better than Becker could've possibly imagined. First off, Jess had seemed eager not to sleep with him last night, though presumably for different reasons than his. He'd, however, been a bit thrown when she'd asked to sleep in his dirty shirt, but he found one he'd definitely worn before the Thames anomaly when he'd caught his chill so at least he hadn't spent the night worrying about infecting her.

And Matt hadn't wanted to go on their run this morning, preventing Becker from having to come up with an excuse as to why he didn't feel like going. Matt had seemed characteristically tight-lipped about what had happened last night, but Becker felt he should at least give the bloke a chance, in case he wanted to talk. So the moment they were left alone to change in the front room, Becker'd simply asked, "You all right?"

The team leader had given a nod and a simple, "Yeah."

Becker asked nothing more, taking Matt's answer to mean that, whatever had happened between him and Emily, things between them wouldn't be too awkward at work.

And after arriving at the ARC, everyone had seemed extremely busy today, hard at work on their own projects, which meant no one much noticed when Becker hid himself away in the armoury again.

For despite all these positives, there was one big negative about today - Becker was feeling worse than ever! He was surprised that his cold symptoms still hadn't progressed - he simply felt more achy, and his fevre was definitely higher. Part of him was annoyed, convinced he should have something more to show for feeling so wretched. Of course, logically he knew that if he had other symptoms, he probably wouldn't be able to hide his illness from the others, so he decided to simply count his blessings and rest up as best he could.

He emerged from the armoury at lunchtime, joining the others at the hub to watch a women's sailing race as well as the finals for the Equestrian individual jumping. Jess had packed perch filets sandwiches, though there hadn't been quite enough to go around.

So as Temple eagerly took a bite of his specially-prepared toast sandwich, he blurted out, "So, you guys hear about today's big Olympic scandal?"

"Scandal?" Jess asked, clearly caught off-guard by his announcement. This surprised Becker, as she was usually so on top of everything Olympics-related. In fact, when he'd approached the hub just now before lunch, her monitors had been plastered with windows showing coverage of every event currently happening; therefore, if anyone should know what was going on, it should be Jess.

"Yeah," Temple said. "It seems an Australian BMX cyclist tweeted a photo of a bucket of condoms with an advert flyer reading, 'Kangaroo Condoms: for the gland down under'. Now the Olympics committee is all up in arms because they're not Durex brand, so they're launching an official investigation into how these 'rogue condoms' got into Olympic Village."

"That's insane!" Abby said, shaking her head.

"Yeah," Becker said. "Isn't 150,000 enough?"

"150,000 what?" Jess asked, confused.

"Condoms," Connor explained.

Jess's jaw dropped. "You're telling me there's 150,000 condoms in Olympic Village?" she asked, clearly as shocked as Becker had been when he'd heard the news.

"Not anymore, I'm betting," Abby said with a smile.

"150,000 PLUS a bucket," Connor corrected. "But can you imagine being the poor suit sent to investigate? I wonder if he gets a special badge or something - you know, 'Contraband Condom Constable' or something."

Matt shrugged. "I imagine they'd be just as upset if someone had tweeted a photo of a Pepsi can or a Wimpy's burger from inside the Village," he said matter-of-factly. "The Games are big business, and the official sponsors are probably just looking after their investments."

"Yeah, but c'mon," Connor said. "'For the gland down under'? Durex don't have a clever slogan like that."

Jess turned to Becker, ordering, "Don't you dare start singing."

Becker held up his hands in surrender, the thought not even having occurred to him.

"Singing?" Connor asked. "What'd you mean?"

Jess's face turned red as she explained, "Well, it's not exactly a slogan, per se, but the Durex adverts play a song. It...uh...played the other day...when I had the London 2012 site open."

Matt nodded. "Marvin Gaye, if I'm not mistaken?"

"That's brilliant," Connor said eagerly. "Which song? 'Sexual Healing'? Or how 'bout 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough'?" he joked.

Becker opened his mouth to reply, but Jess covered it with her hand, quickly answering, "'Let's Get It On'. Now don't you think it's funny that it's the Dutchman's horse that's named 'London'?" she asked, obviously trying to change the subject.

Abby, however, clearly noticed Jess's tactic and gave a wry smile. "Oh, that's right. All this talk is probably making you two eager for your big date tonight, yeah?"

"Abby!" Jess protested, her face turning red.

But Becker was too busy panicking to come to Jess's rescue. What with the events of last night's dinner and feeling like rubbish all day, he'd completely forgotten that they'd rescheduled their date for tonight.

How on earth was he going to get through this evening without getting Jess sick?

...

to be continued


	45. Ch 45 TRY & TRY AGAIN

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 45 - TRY & TRY AGAIN

...

By 10am, Jess had managed to hack her way into the Olympic feeds, but it took till mid-afternoon to work out all the details and get her scheme in place. It was more complicated than it seemed - once she'd successfully hacked into a venue, she had to figure out which camera she wanted to take control of and then make it appear off-line to their system long enough so she could use the PTZ to track down whom she wanted in the crowd...and all this had to be done quickly so they wouldn't be able to figure out she was there and lock her out.

So she'd spent a long time making systematic lists of all the camera views at each location and then testing each one to ensure that she'd be able to control each stationary camera, panning, tilting, and zooming it in the exact direction she wanted. Of course, there wasn't anything she could do about the handheld cameras, as the operators had total control over where they were pointed. In addition to the network cameras, however, there were loads of security cameras, shooting footage that no one would ever see unless something bad were to happen. Jess had taken the time to catalogue these as well on the off-chance that she might need to track some spectator beyond the limits of the Games cameras.

Once everything was resolved, once she had her system in place and knew how to manipulate the cameras to her will, then the waiting game began. She had every Olympic feed open on her screen and was constantly scanning them all, looking for Matt's doppelganger. And of course, now that she was prepared, she couldn't find him anywhere!

Not that she didn't try. She was certain he was in the crowd at ExCel, watching West Germany beat Hong Kong in Table Tennis before Team GB's Nicola Adams advanced to the Gold medal bout in Boxing. Matt's double also seemed to be in the other stands as well, eagerly taking in the sailing events in Weymouth, the canoeing events at Eton Dorney, and the equestrian events at Greenwich Park. Each time Jess spotted him, she'd take over the camera feed, tracking down the man she was certain was the one, and each time she'd discover that the "lookalike", when viewed close-up, in fact bore little resemblance to the real Matt.

Yet Jess didn't grow discouraged. She knew it was only a matter of time. If future Matt were still here, if he, in fact, were a spectator at the Games, then Jess was doing everything in her power to locate him. And if not, if all the ghosts she'd seen over the last few days were merely a product of her imagination, then they were merely back to square one...which was still one step further than they'd been a week ago, when they'd not even been aware there was a doppelganger to be on the lookout for.

Jess was grateful that none of the big team sports today had involved Team GB, for that meant the ARC team had mostly left her alone at the hub. And thank goodness Becker had been busy, for he would've been likely to sense she was up to something, since she'd never been particularly good at lying to him.

But as the end of her shift neared, Jess began to grow excited for her date. It had been one full week since they'd last attempted to go out; however, that evening hadn't quite gone to plan since Emily had ended up joining them. Of course, it was a good thing she had, for now they all knew about Matt's secret. But Jess knew tonight it would just be her and Becker, and if it were anything like the role-playing they'd imagined...

"Hey," Becker said, coming up to the hub yet standing a distance away, as if he didn't want to interrupt what she was doing. "You almost ready?"

Jess quickly shut down all her open windows, which luckily would appear to anyone unsuspecting like nothing more than a wee Games obsession, and hopped off her chair. "Done!" she said. "Ready right on time. See? Our date's already getting off to a better start than last week, yeah?"

Becker furrowed his brow. "Don't you need to wait to be relieved?"

Jess shook her head. "Pippa's already in the building, so I'm good. Any anomalies that happen right now are not our problem."

As they headed out, she automatically reached down to take his hand, but he'd absently stuffed it into his pocket. Oh well, she thought, plenty of time for that later. "I'm all yours," she said, smiling up at him as they crossed Ops. "So what's the plan?"

He raised a sarcastic eyebrow. "What's this? Jessica Parker doesn't have a plan? Did the world just end?"

Jess rolled her eyes. "I was busy today. You know, work?" She gulped nervously, hoping he didn't ask for specifics. "Besides, I don't much care what we do tonight, as long as we're alone together."

"Well, in that case, let's go shoot some rounds on the range," he teased, pretending to swerve off towards the armoury.

She playfully swatted him. "Don't be silly. You know what I mean."

He nodded as they stepped onto the lift. As he removed his hand from his pocket to press the button, Jess eagerly took hold of it, beaming up at him. She proudly, however, used what she felt was remarkable restraint by waiting until the doors were shut before giving him the first kiss of the evening.

...

"Sorry," Becker said, sliding back into his seat for what felt like the zillionth time since they'd arrived. He smiled as he noted, "I see the food finally got here."

Jess nodded, but her brow was creased with worry. Reaching across the table, she took his hand, asking, "You okay?"

He felt like a deer in the headlights. Had she figured it out? He'd been so careful not to let on that he felt like rubbish, but leave it to Jess to see through it all.

Not that he wasn't going to try to keep up the façade for as long as possible.

"'Course, I'm fine," he said. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you keep rushing off to the toilet every few minutes," she said. "I thought you might be having, you know, tummy difficulties or something."

How his actions might appear to others had never occurred to him. "No, my stomach's fine," he said, quickly taking a bite of his phall curry to demonstrate. He'd ordered the hottest dish on the menu in the hopes that it might burn out anything that might be dwelling in his sinuses, and it was clearly going to work for it was way hotter than he'd anticipated. He quickly reached for his lassi and took a quick gulp before answering, "Otherwise I wouldn't have suggested Indian."

But Jess was still frowning, and he knew he was going to have to give her more of a reason. Of course, he couldn't tell her what he was really up to. Unfortunately it seemed the "Grabby Hands" title should go to Jess tonight for she was constantly reaching for his! Terrified that she'd catch his cold, he kept rushing off to wash his hands. He should've known it would look odd. He struggled to come up with an excuse she was likely to buy. "Um, well, I got some, uh...gunk...on my hands today at work and I, uh, just can't seem to get it all off, and I didn't want you to, you know, get it all over you."

Jess smiled. "Well, I guess that's what you get for mucking about the armoury all day," she teased. "You know, I never seem to have that problem working at the hub…unless Pippa's been eating her caramels again," she added with a grin.

But Becker frowned. He'd never thought about the germs that Jess must be exposed to on a daily basis from sharing the hub. "You need to be careful, Jess," he scolded. "It's not a joke. When was the last time you disinfected your keyboards? Who knows what germs you're exposing yourself to every day. You can't simply take your health for granted, you know?"

After his brief tirade, he paused, gulping nervously, worried that he'd tipped his hand. But instead, she merely grinned, squeezing his hand as she said simply, "Thanks."

He frowned, confused. "For what?"

"For, you know, always worrying about me."

"I don't ALWAYS worry about you," he defended.

"Well, often at least. And I think it's sweet. The way you fret," she teased, "anyone would think you liked me or something."

He tried to shrug off her comment, mumbling, "Eat up - you shouldn't let your food get cold."

Jess laughed. "Thanks for proving my point," she said, picking up her fork and taking a bite of her chicken. "Oh, this is really good," she raved. "Here, you should try a bite," she said, holding a forkful out for him.

But Becker quickly leant away, shaking his head. "No, thanks."

Jess frowned. "I thought you liked tandoori."

Dammit! He should've known that she'd have noted his usual order. "Um, I do. I just, um, have plenty of my own food, thanks."

Jess laughed, pulling her fork back and eating the bite herself. "Fine. I'm happy not to share. But don't think you're getting out of giving ME a bite - I can smell those delicious peppers from here!" And before he realised what she was up to, she reached over, about to stick her fork into his germ-ridden food.

Without thinking, he frantically swatted her hand away. When she giggled, however, he realised he could simply play it off as teasing. "You can't have any," he said, making an exaggerated show of shielding his plate. "It's, uh, too hot. And...I'd, uh,...hate for you to burn your tongue."

Jess quickly pulled her fork away. "Oh yes, that'd be dreadful," she said coyly before a thought occurred to her and she frowned. "But what about you?"

"I'll, uh, be fine," he replied absently, for his mind was suddenly racing, beginning to panic about what was going to happen with the rest of the evening. After all, it was clear Jess was expecting snogging, and who could blame her? He would've been eagerly anticipating it himself if he weren't terrified of getting her sick. He was going to need to distract her somehow, to make her enjoy the evening so much that she didn't even notice the lack of one-on-one contact. Perhaps the proper film - a chick flick maybe - could be the answer to his prayers. He immediately pulled out his mobile and started to search for what was currently playing.

"What're you doing?" Jess asked.

"Looking up the cinema listings," he said. "We have to figure out what film we're going to see tonight."

Jess laughed. "What happened to Mr. 'I-don't-care-what-we-see-as-long-as-the armrests-go-up'?"

He'd hoped she'd forgotten about that. "I'm not really as single-minded as all that," he insisted, hoping she'd buy it.

Instead, she looked exaggeratedly about the restaurant before teasing, "Funny, I don't SEE the rest of the ARC team here, so who exactly are you trying to fool? Not ME, surely - I KNOW you, remember?"

Becker raised an eyebrow and she instantly blushed - he rather liked that power.

Jess quickly amended, "Okay, so I don't 'know' you in the sense Emily might use the word, but I know what you're like. I saw the way you reacted to my frock last night. Almost as impressed as Matt was with Emily's, I believe."

Becker was starting to feel a bit guilty with all this talk - he hoped Jess didn't really think he was so randy that he couldn't concentrate on anything else when she was about.

But at least she'd opened the door to a new topic.

"So...did you find out anything?" he asked.

"About Matt and Emily?" Jess sighed, shaking her head. "Not a thing. And knowing the two of them, we never will...unless Emily drinks more wine, that is."

"Truer words...," Becker agreed.

"But I did overhear them discussing Paris again today, so it sounds like they got everything worked out."

Becker was relieved - he wanted to see his friends happy. "Good. I'm glad."

Jess nodded in agreement. "Me, too. But it must be so hard for them, you know? I mean, Matt had to lie to her - to everyone, really - when they first met. And Emily clearly wasn't eager to point out she was married when she didn't know if she'd ever see her husband again. And since then, it seems they've both been keeping secrets, for one reason or another. That can't have been easy. I mean, once you start lying, that's usually the beginning of the end, so I can't imagine how difficult it must've been when they were lying right from the start."

Becker gulped nervously. Did she know? Is that why she was saying all this, to let him know that she'd found him out?

But luckily she charged ahead, "Not that all lies are bad. I mean, sometimes they're necessary, yeah? You might want to keep something from someone simply for their own good, because you don't want them to, perhaps, get their hopes up and then be sorely disappointed."

Becker nodded solemnly. "Or you don't want them to worry," he admitted.

Jess beamed. "Exactly! So, I mean, keeping something from someone for the right reasons isn't necessarily all bad, yeah?"

Becker nodded; under the current circumstances, he couldn't agree more.

...

to be continued


	46. Ch 46 BRAVE, BOTHERED, & BEWILDERED

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 46 - BRAVE, BOTHERED, & BEWILDERED

...

Jess still couldn't believe that Becker was taking her to see _Disney's Brave_, though she reminded him on the drive to the cinema, "Now I hope you realise I'd like to actually SEE this movie."

Becker nodded. "Me, too."

"Really?!" Jess was surprised; she didn't exactly think an animated film about a rebellious Celtic girl was his cup of tea.

He flashed her a smile, explaining, "I mean I'd like YOU to see it."

Ah, that made more sense.

The instant they arrived at the theatre, Becker rushed off to the toilet, though considering the number of lassis he'd consumed at dinner, she wasn't surprised. When he emerged, she took his hand as they headed for the concession stand.

"I'm getting popcorn," he said. "Would you like anything?"

Jess shook her head. She was still full from dinner, and besides, popcorn always seemed to smell better than it actually tasted, so she was content to just nibble on his.

Queuing up, Jess snuggled close to him. "This is so lovely."

Becker frowned. "The concession stand?"

Jess laughed. "No, silly. This. You and me, alone. It's perfect, don't you think?"

"We're hardly alone," he commented as a group of boisterous pre-teens went rushing by, squealing like a swarm of adolescent raptors.

"Close enough for government work," Jess teased, closing her eyes as she reached up to give him a kiss. Unfortunately, the girl in front must've chosen that exact moment to finish at the counter for Becker suddenly stepped forward, causing Jess's kiss to land clumsily upon his cheek. Hearing those behind them chuckling, she blushed and quickly stepped up next to him as he ordered his small popcorn before inquiring once again if she wanted anything.

"Only you," she whispered into his ear, which he didn't bother passing along to the boy behind the counter.

Once he had his popcorn in hand, they crossed the lobby and headed into the theatre. Letting their eyes adjust to the dimmer lighting, Jess was disappointed to see that the back row was already taken by several randy teenagers who weren't even bothering to wait for the lights to go down. Jess smiled wistfully at them, wishing she, too, could be so unselfconscious, for a part of her wanted to simply grab Becker right now in front of everyone. But she simply couldn't, especially not after her embarrassing kissing debacle in the queue, so instead she merely followed Becker as he led them down the aisle.

"Let's find you the perfect spot to watch the film, yeah?" he said as he continued to the centre of the theatre. "How's this?"

Jess nodded. "Perfect," she said as he stepped aside so that she could head into the row first. She made her way to the centre, stopping just short of a couple sat in the row behind. "Here?" she asked.

Becker shrugged. "Looks good," he said, sitting down.

Jess took her own seat and immediately attempted to raise the armrest between them, but it wouldn't budge, not even an inch. She turned to the other one, just to check, but no, it folded back without a problem. Returning to the one between them, she tried again, but it was most definitely broken!

"Scoot over," Jess said, nodding to the empty seat on Becker's other side. "This armrest's broken."

But Becker nervously looked behind him before saying, "Jess, I can't. Then I'll be in the way of that little boy."

Jess turned to look. "He's five rows behind us. He'll be fine."

"I don't want to be rude, Jess. We'll just have to...make do."

Jess sighed, pouting as she sat back in her seat. Of all the times to get a broken armrest! And while she appreciated the fact that Becker was so conscientious about not wanting to be rude to the other patrons, she had really been looking forward to snuggling together during the movie. Of course, this way she'd be less tempted to simply snog, so perhaps it was for the best, as she did want to watch the film.

Besides, they could always snog during the adverts and trailers!

Jess absently reached over for a handful of popcorn, but Becker yanked it away, snapping, "What are you doing?"

"Grabbing some popcorn." Wasn't that obvious?

"You said you didn't want any."

Jess laughed. "It's not like you're going to starve if I take a few handfuls." She reached across him once again, and once again he yanked the container away.

_Oh, so that's how he's going to play this_, Jess thought, playfully reaching further and further across him, practically crawling into his lap in her attempts to get to the popcorn, which he continued to hold just out of her reach. Finally she pretended to give up, sitting back in her seat, waiting to pounce as soon as his guard was down. Once it was, she mischievously lunged for the bucket. He was so taken by surprise by her sudden manoeuvre that he jerked the popcorn away too fast, causing the container to slip from his hands, upend, and spill popcorn all over the floor.

She was already cringing with regret before Becker turned to her, yelling, "Dammit, Jessica! What the hell?!"

"Sorry!"

But before she could say more, he jumped to his feet and started towards the aisle. Jess frantically grabbed his hand, asking, "Where are you going?"

"To buy you popcorn," he snapped.

Jess instantly let go, feeling terrible. She'd just thought it was a silly game - she hadn't meant to upset him so.

And clearly he hadn't meant to upset her either for he came back, his voice calmer as he sat down, explaining, "Sorry, Jess. I didn't mean to snap. I just... I have a bit of a headache is all."

_Oh, so that explained it. _"Are you okay? Do you want something for it?" she asked, grabbing up her handbag and starting to search through it. "I think I might have some paracetamol in-"

"No, I'll be fine," he said. The theatre lights started to dim and he jumped to his feet again. "I'd best hurry, yeah, if I'm to get you that popcorn?"

Jess shook her head, again reaching for his hand before he could get far. "Don't get popcorn just on my account. I don't need any, really."

He smiled down at her, saying, "It's not a problem, Jess. I'll be right back."

"But...it's starting," she said, gesturing towards the screen.

He shrugged it off. "Don't worry, I'll be back before the film itself starts. There'll be loads of adverts and trailers first, remember?"

Which was exactly why she didn't want him to go, as this was their only chance to snog. Unfortunately he'd already extricated his hand from her grasp and was gone.

She sat back with a frustrated sigh as a Coca-Cola advert was soon followed by one for McDonalds. Jess half expected a Durex advert next but then remembered that the theatre was filled with kids. When the trailers started, Jess almost laughed when the first was _Les Miserables_, and she felt bad that Becker wasn't back so they could relive their role-playing from last week.

In fact, Becker didn't get back until just as the film was starting.

"Terrible queue," he explained absently as he slid into the seat next to her, handing her the popcorn plus an Aero bar for good measure.

"Don't you want any?" she asked, offering him the bucket, but he shook his head.

"It's for you. And if you decide you want a Coke to go with it, just let me know and I can-"

Jess stopped him with a quick peck. "I'm fine." He nodded, extending his arm across her seatback as she lay her head on his shoulder, settling in to watch the film.

...

_Brave_, it turned out, had been the ideal film for their date. Jess had been so enraptured that she didn't seem to mind that they weren't snogging... and didn't seem to notice that Becker was completely out of it!

For unfortunately Becker had been severely understating when he'd mentioned he'd "a bit of a headache." His head had been pounding since the end of dinner, and he could feel his heartbeat throbbing through his temple. The scratches he'd gotten last week from that damn bird had been tender for days after the medic had drained them but had finally seemed to be healing...until now. Even at the risk of Jess or Matt finding out, Becker realised he must go to medical first thing in the morning, for something simply didn't feel right.

Correction: NOTHING felt right. His heart was racing and his breathing was laboured, as if he'd been running hard...or heatedly snogging with Jess. Yet he'd been doing nothing more strenuous than sitting in a darkened theatre. He'd been so knackered, in fact, that he'd spent much of the film in a stupour, not even following what was happening onscreen. Of course, it didn't much matter, as Jess was now regaling him with an enthusiastic scene-by-scene review of the entire film as they headed back to the flat.

"And didn't you just love when Maudie had the key and the three bears were chasing her?"

The three bears? "I don't remember Goldilocks in the film," Becker replied, somewhat bewildered.

Jess playfully swatted him, saying, "Very funny," before continuing with her gleeful recap.

Ordinarily Becker would've loved to hear Jess go on and on all night - it simply made him happy to see her so enthused - but he was frankly relieved when they pulled up to the flat. Tonight he'd been desperate to show Jess a good time without letting on how miserable he felt and, as a result, he was exhausted from the effort. As he parked near the flat, he was thankful that the date was essentially over. Jess had seemed to thoroughly enjoy herself, so it had definitely all been worth it. But now Becker just wanted to take some paracetamol and climb into bed and pass out till morning.

In fact, he was so focussed on this last that he'd climbed out of the car and was halfway to the flat before he noticed Jess wasn't with him. He quickly looked around for her, finally realising she was still sat in the car. He walked back up the street and opened her door, asking, "Aren't you coming in?"

But Jess no longer looked so pleased. "I thought we were going to, you know, say goodnight," she said, looking up at him with her big, blue eyes.

Becker stared back, bewildered. "Can't we say goodnight inside? I just want to go to bed."

"Oh! Okay," Jess said, smiling cheerily as she quickly climbed out of the car. Taking hold of his arm as they headed for the flat, she lay her head on his shoulder, giving a contented sigh. "I had a lovely evening."

Becker gave a sigh of his own, not of contentment but of relief. "I'm glad," he said, turning his head slightly to kiss her hair.

They finished their short walk in silence, quietly letting themselves into the darkened flat. For Becker, climbing the stairs felt like running a marathon as his tired muscles strained and his heart raced; however, he kept himself going by reminding himself that bed was only a few steps away.

But as they reached the landing, Jess let out a disappointed, "Oh!"

"What?"

"We forgot about the boxes," Jess whispered, gesturing to the naked dining room table in front of them.

Of course, Becker hadn't forgotten - in fact, he'd been counting on sleeping alone tonight - but he nodded, soothing, "At least you can sleep in your own bed, yeah?"

But Jess gave a frustrated sigh. "I would've rather had you."

"You had me all evening," he pointed out, but she was having a proper pout.

"It's not the same thing."

Becker wanted to make her feel better, but he'd hit the wall and felt on the verge of collapse. "Well, there's nothing much we can do about it now." He turned to Jess, putting his hands gently upon her shoulders. "Perhaps we can do this again...sometime," he finished vaguely, not knowing when his cold would be gone. "I'm glad you had a good time. Goodnight."

He leant down to give her a quick peck on the forehead but suddenly felt Jess's hands on the back of his neck, pulling him into a proper kiss. As his lips touched hers, his first thought was how good it would feel to simply curl up with her, to let her warm body help ease the misery of his headache. But then his rational mind took over, screaming _No! She'll get sick! _above his pounding heartbeat, and he violently shoved himself away with a frantic, "Jess, no!"

But the moment the initial panic subsided, he noticed the way Jess was looking up at him, noticed the hurt in her eyes at his supposed rejection. Becker wanted to kick himself - here they'd had a great date, and now he'd gone and blown it at the finish line. He quickly put his hands back on her shoulders, trying to explain, "Jess, I'm sorry! I didn't mean... it's not that I don't want... it's just... I've a headache, see, and so... it's not you, it's me, really! I just..."

He inhaled deeply, trying to catch his breath, and noticed that his words seemed be having little effect on Jess, who still looked devastated. He longed to hold her tight, to kiss her passionately to show her just how much he cared...yet it was simply because he cared so much that he couldn't even imagine intentionally inflicting this virus on her. He desperately wanted to reassure her, to let her know just how much she meant to him, so he kissed her forehead, frantically explaining, "Look, I love you, Jess. I just... I need to get to bed. But we can talk in the morning, yeah? Maybe we can...stop for coffee on the way in, okay? But I've simply GOT to get some sleep now." He kissed her forehead again before holding her out at arm's length. "Okay?"

Jess nodded, and Becker breathed a sigh of relief that he'd been able to smooth everything over. He gave her one more peck before letting her go with a tender, "All right. Then goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Becker waited until she'd disappeared up the stairs before he turned and made his way towards his kit. He was too tired to change into his pyjamas, let alone go in search of paracetamol. Instead he simply crawled into his sleeping bag and thankfully, despite his throbbing headache, was asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

...

to be continued


	47. Ch 47 LOST & FOUND

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 47 - LOST & FOUND

...

Jess tried to be as quiet as possible as she entered her darkened bedroom and changed into her pyjamas, hoping not to awaken her bedmates. She therefore jumped when Emily's voice suddenly sounded through the darkness. "Did you enjoy your date?"

Jess's rational mind might've felt guilty for waking Emily - or been impressed with her friend's correct usage of the term "date" - but instead her irrational mind simply burst into tears.

Instantly both bedside lights were switched on as Abby and Emily sat up in bed, looks of concern upon their faces.

"Are you unwell?" Emily asked as Abby blurted out, "What'd he do?"

"He's...breaking up with me." Jess barely got it out, as hearing the words spoken aloud made her feel even worse.

"What?" Abby asked as Emily leapt up, putting her arm about Jess and tenderly leading her to the bed. Jess allowed her friends to sit her down and arrange her in the middle, her back propped against a pillow on the headboard, as she continued to cry. Once they were settled, each girl took hold of a hand. "Tell us everything," Abby prompted as Emily gently squeezed Jess's hand, offering, "But only if it will make you feel better."

Jess couldn't imagine ANYTHING making her feel better at present and simply continued to cry. Eventually Emily let go her hand to pull a handkerchief from her nightgown sleeve. After blowing her nose and brushing the tears from her cheeks, Jess finally felt ready to spill.

And spill she did, as she attempted to share every detail of her disastrous evening with her friends. Unfortunately it was rather slow going as she kept getting interrupted.

... "You can't always have French. And you like Indian." ...

... "So he did not want to deprive you of any dessert? Sounds rather considerate to me." ...

... "_Brave_?! He took you to see _Brave_?! I find it hard to believe he'd put himself through that if he were merely going to dump you." ...

... "His head was aching and you upset his popcorn - I have seen him grow angry for less. And he apologised straightaway, so it seems as if he did not mean to be cruel." ...

... "It's late, and you both work in the morning - you can always snog in the car some other time, yeah?" ...

Every comment they spoke made sense, every rationalisation seemed wise, but they simply weren't seeing the forest for the trees.

"But don't you see?" Jess finally blurted out, full of frustration. "Every contact *I* initiated! Every kiss was one-sided! It were as if he no longer wanted me, as if...my mere touch repulsed him!"

"I am certain you exaggerate," Emily insisted.

"Then why am I up here right now, sleeping with you two, instead of downstairs with him?"

Abby shook her head. "I thought YOU were the one who didn't want to sleep together without the boxes for privacy."

"I'm not talking about that! I'm talking about simply snogging and the fact that Becker shoved me away when I tried to give him a goodnight kiss."

"Shoved?" Emily repeated.

Jess nodded emphatically. "He pushed me away, as if he found my lips...disgusting."

Abby squeezed her hand, asking, "So is that when he did it?"

Jess wasn't sure what she was talking about. "Did what?"

"Said he was breaking up with you."

"Well, he didn't actually SAY it. But shoving me away - surely that's what he meant, yeah?"

"That depends," Emily said. "What did he actually say?"

Jess shrugged. "He apologised straightaway, saying he had a headache-"

"See?" Abby interrupted, but Jess continued.

"Yeah, but '_a headache_'", which was quickly followed by, '_Maybe we can do this again sometime_,' and '_It's not you, it's me_'," Jess insisted.

"Ah." Abby nodded, finally clueing in.

But Emily still hadn't. "I do not understand. He was suggesting that you go on another date, yes? And that his apparent rejection had naught to do with you but with him and his headache?"

Jess shook her head - Emily had so much to learn about 21st century dating. "It's code, Emily. It's what people say when they're not interested...when they're breaking up."

"But...maybe not," Abby said. "Maybe Emily's right. I mean, what was the context?"

Jess shrugged. "Well, as I said, he was apologising for shoving me away and said some rubbish about how he loved me and how we could talk about-"

"Wait wait wait!" Abby interrupted. "He said he LOVED you?"

Jess nodded. "Yeah, and that we could talk about it over coffee in the morning, but clearly-"

"He actually used the word '_love_'?" Abby repeated, like a dog with bone. "In a sentence? About you?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Jess, that's huge! Especially for Becker." Abby gave Jess's shoulder a friendly pat before turning off the nearby lamp and lying down, stating, "You two are going to be fine."

"I do not understand," Emily said. "Is '_love_' also some kind of code?"

"No!" Abby insisted as Jess shook her head, reluctantly replying, "Not really. At least, not that I know of."

"So the fact that he said it simply means what he said - that he loves you," Emily stated matter-of-factly.

But Jess still couldn't quite believe it. "But what about the rest - acting so weird and shoving me away and _'it's not you, it's me'_?"

Emily nodded gravely. "The popcorn incident was before the film started, yes? And this...shoving incident you are describing happened upon your return?"

Jess nodded, not sure what Emily was getting at.

"So Captain Becker had a headache for at least two hours, yet he did not cut your date short, knowing how much you wanted to see the film. His actions sound, to me at least, as if he cares deeply for you."

"So does '_I love you_'," Abby asserted.

Emily squeezed Jess's hand. "I do not think you need to worry. I am certain he was merely tired, but you can always discuss it with him in the morning, yes?"

Jess shrugged. Although her friends were trying to make her feel better, she still wasn't convinced. But she didn't want to keep them awake any longer, so she simply nodded, saying, "Yeah, you're right. Thanks. Goodnight."

Emily nodded, reaching over to turn off her light before lying down. Jess, however, stayed sat against the headboard, contemplating. Whilst Becker's reaction to her advances suggested that he was no longer interested in her, he HAD said he loved her...and he'd never said it before. Perhaps the girls were right - perhaps '_love_' trumped all.

Caught up in these thoughts, it took forever for Jess to fall asleep. Yet in the morning she awoke early, even before the girls' alarms went off, and quickly got up. Becker had promised her morning coffee, and surely talking with him would enable her to tell where she stood.

She got dressed and headed downstairs straightaway, waiting anxiously for the boys to return from their morning run. But when Matt arrived, he was alone.

"Where's Becker?" Jess asked, glancing about as if she expected the soldier to suddenly emerge from the shadows. "Didn't he go running with you?"

Matt shook his head. "He had something to do at the ARC and headed in early. He mentioned you should just catch a ride with me or Abby."

Jess felt as if she'd been punched in the gut. He'd promised he'd take her to coffee, and then he couldn't even be bothered to drive her to work?

Clearly she'd been right - it was obviously over.

...

In the morning, when Becker's watch alarm sounded, he quickly shut it off, wishing he could shut the rest of it off as well. His head was still pounding and his scratches still throbbing from the night before, and now he was shivering as if he might never know warmth again. Clearly something was wrong, something far worse than a simple cold. He needed to get to medical ASAP and see if they had something, ANYTHING that would help him feel better.

So when Matt arose and asked if Becker was going running, the soldier shook his head. "I've, uh, got stuff to do at the ARC. I'm going to head in early."

Matt didn't question him and simply made for the stairs alone, but Becker called after him, "Tell Jess to catch a ride with you or Abby, yeah?" He didn't want her to think he'd left without giving her a spare thought.

Not that his thoughts were very coherent at present, and halfway to work he wondered if it'd been wise to drive himself, as he kept getting disorientated and taking wrong turns. He finally arrived, thankfully still in one piece, and headed in. Unfortunately there was a small note taped to the garage lift stating simply, "_Monthly maintenance - please use stairs_". Becker sighed and slowly made his way up several flights, stopping regularly, as his heart was racing and he was finding it difficult to catch his breath. Once he reached the proper level, he headed down the corridor towards medical, so weary he could barely move. When he saw the door to the Quiet Room standing slightly ajar, he took it as a sign and decided to take a quick kip inside before moving on. He collapsed into the comfy chair and was asleep in an instant.

_BRAHNG! BRAHNG! BRAHNG!_

Becker awoke with a rush of adrenaline at the sound of the ADD's klaxons. He jumped to his feet and hurried to Ops, where the others were gathering as well.

"Where is it, Jess?" Matt asked as they all converged at the hub.

But Jess swung around in her chair, a weird look on her face. "There's no anomaly," she said simply.

"The ADD acting up again?" Connor asked, attempting to reach around her to the keyboard, but she shook her head.

"No," Jess said, nervously biting her lower lip. "I set off the alarm."

"Why?" Lester casually sauntered up, asking wrily, "Mo Farah racing again?"

"No, not till Saturday," Jess replied absently before swinging back around and opening up a window on the screen. "I set off the alert because...I thought you all should see this."

Becker and the others turned their attention to the monitor. At first they appeared to be watching a regular Olympic crowd, but suddenly the camera turned, zooming in on a spectator. The back of the man's head was to the camera as he climbed the stairs in the stands, but after a moment he turned.

"Matt!" Emily exclaimed as the others gasped at the sight. Becker even turned to make certain that the team leader was actually still stood next to him, for there was no doubt in his mind that the man on the screen was Matt.

"How did...?" Matt began as he stared at the monitor.

"I thought I kept seeing you-him," Jess quickly corrected, "at one event or another, but I thought I might simply be seeing ghosts, so I decided to confirm what I was seeing before I mentioned it to anyone." Her fingers flew across the keyboards, causing the camera feed to go black, before she turned to Lester. "I've been careful not to stay on too long, I promise. If we're lucky, they won't even detect my hacking. Hope that's okay?" she finished nervously.

Lester nodded before turning to the others. "Well? What are you waiting for? Go after him."

Becker immediately reached for the blackboxes and started tossing them out to the others, running entirely on instinct and adrenaline.

With everything obviously under control, Lester headed back towards his office, calling back, "I'll make a few calls so you can get in when you get there."

Matt nodded an acknowledgement to their boss before turning to the others. "Let's just keep it to the five of us, yeah?"

"One car?" Abby asked. "Or two?"

Matt thought for a second. "Better take two. That way we'll have room if..."

He trailed off, but everyone knew what he was thinking. If they were able to catch up with this doppelganger, perhaps he could come with them, talk to them, let them know exactly what they'd done to the future...and what they needed to do to fix it.

"He's at Olympic Stadium," Jess said. "I'll keep track of him till you get there."

Matt nodded. "Keep us informed."

As they headed out, Becker dug the keys to the 4x4 out of his pocket and tossed them to Connor. His head still ached, and although the pounding had been reduced to a dull roar by the adrenaline rush - brought on by both the klaxons and the astonishing sight of Matt's double - he still thought it safer to have someone else do the driving.

Temple, however, wasn't expecting the keys and instantly dropped them. As he leant over to pick them up, he asked, "You want ME to drive? Sure you're feeling okay, mate?"

Connor didn't know the half of it. But Becker didn't have time to worry about himself at present - they needed to go find this other Matt!

...

to be continued


	48. Ch 48 SEARCH & RESCUE

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 48 - SEARCH & RESCUE

...

As soon as she'd arrived at work that morning, Jess had decided that the only way to keep her mind off of Becker was to be proactive in her secret search for Matt's double. Yesterday she'd only watched the video feeds of the Games themselves, but that involved too much waiting around, too much time for her to sit and think about Becker and what had gone wrong. So instead she'd decided to start flipping through the security cameras, jumping on one after another, staying on just long enough to take a quick glance about the crowd of spectators before moving on to the next. With only a few events competing, Jess was able to keep an eye on all the broadcast cameras as well as cycling through the CCTV feeds at ExCel, the Aquatics Centre, Eton Dorney, the Riverbank Arena, and of course Olympic Stadium.

And it had eventually paid off. For there, amidst the crowd gathering to watch the second day of the Men's Decathlon, was Matt's doppelganger. At first she couldn't quite believe her eyes, and after following him briefly, she jumped off the camera, not wanting to stay on too long and get caught. She slowly counted to 30 before hacking back into the same feed. It took her a minute to locate the man again, but when she did, she was more convinced than ever that it was Matt's double. However, he was headed into the stadium and would soon be out of sight of the camera she was currently on, so she patiently waited, following the lookalike from camera to camera until he appeared to be headed for his seat in the stands, where he'd presumably settle.

It was only then that she'd sounded the alarm. When everyone had gasped at the sight, Jess had felt a sense of relief, knowing that it wasn't simply her imagination, that the man she'd been stalking all morning was, in fact, the man they'd been searching for. She'd also felt relieved that Lester wasn't upset with her for using government property to hack into the Olympic feeds. And most importantly, she'd felt relieved that Becker had been so focussed on the emergency that he hadn't properly looked at her, for she hadn't wanted him to see the remnants of her early morning cry.

However, when he'd tossed his keys to Connor on their way out, she knew that could only mean one thing - Becker didn't want to have to listen to her voice in his ear, giving out directions as he drove. She was hurt by this - hadn't he said he didn't want their relationship to get in the way of work? However, a part of her was glad, for now she could simply concentrate on HER task and not have to worry about tiptoeing about Becker.

Directing them through Olympic Park was going to be tricky. The Stadium itself was situated on an island, surrounded by waterways on three sides, so the only access was via five bridges. There was no parking anywhere nearby, so they were going to have to leg it across the Greenway and through the Park. Luckily they weren't carrying the locking device or even any EMDs, as this was unlike any mission they'd ever been on. They weren't after some creature, they weren't attempting to prevent an incursion nor to rescue anyone. Instead, they simply wanted to find the man and have a talk.

So why was Jess more nervous than she'd ever been?

Of course, she knew why. They were about to find out the truth about the future, about what had happened...or would happen...to cause future Matt to relay such an ominous message.

And whilst Jess was nervous, she was more concerned about what Matt must be feeling. To know he was about to be having a conversation with HIMSELF must be frying his brain right now!

So Jess realised that it was up to her to keep it together, to be the calm in the storm, the clear head that calmly directed the team precisely where they needed to go.

"Up ahead the A11 forks," Jess said, zooming in on the satellite maps to determine the exact route they needed to take, "and you need to veer right - that's take the RIGHT fork - and continue straight onto High Street. The left fork will take you to the A12 junction, which you definitely want to avoid."

"Right fork. Copy, Jess," Matt acknowledged..

"And stay in the right lane, as you'll want to take a right at Rick Roberts Way. I repeat, a right at Rick Roberts Way."

"Quite a tongue-twister there, eh, Jess?" Connor joked.

Jess laughed - she was quite pleased herself that she'd managed to spit it out so coherently. "At the roundabout, you'll want to take a right again into the Southern Spectator Transport Hub. Lester's called ahead and cleared you for parking. He's also pulled some strings to allow you into the Park through Greenway Gate. From there it's all on foot, I'm afraid." Though she was secretly envious that they would at least be allowed some physical release to their nervous energy, whereas she could only sit here in her chair.

"And Jess," Matt began hesitantly, "how is...I mean, are you still...?"

Of course, Jess knew precisely what he was asking. "He's still sat in the stands. I'm keeping an eye on him."

"Thanks," the team leader replied simply.

But Jess could only imagine what must be going through his head right now!

...

A million thoughts were racing through Becker's mind as they sprinted through the Park towards Olympic Stadium, not the least of which was that he was starting to feel a bit dizzy. The adrenaline had begun to wear off in the car, and he'd spent most of the ride in a stupour in the back seat. He'd enjoyed listening to Jess give out directions over the comms - she was always so composed during situations like these, it helped to focus and calm the rest of the team. Trouble was, as Becker calmed, his headache had come rushing back. Therefore he was actually glad when they parked and started legging it towards the Stadium for the adrenaline kicked back in, somewhat easing the pounding in his head. Only now he was having trouble catching his breath, and the resultant lack of oxygen was making his head spin.

He was thus glad when they were forced to come to a stop upon a wide bridge at the switchbacks where the spectators were queuing up in front of the Stadium ticket stands. He leant over, placing his hands on his knees, trying to steady himself and slow his pounding heart.

"You okay?" Connor asked, and Becker simply nodded.

But Emily didn't seem convinced. "Are you certain you are well? You are looking rather peaked."

"I'm fine," he insisted, straightening up. He didn't want them worrying about him when they needed to be concentrating on...

"There he is!" Becker exclaimed as he suddenly spotted the doppelganger in the midst of the crowd. He charged off after the figure, surprised that no one else had noticed the man. Catching up with him, Becker grabbed the man gruffly by the shoulder and turned him about.

"Becker, what are you doing?!" Abby asked as she ran up, throwing off Becker's hand. "It's Matt!"

The soldier stared blankly at Abby, not comprehending. How could this be Matt when Becker had just been chasing his lookalike through the crowd? Matt wasn't a magician, so where had he suddenly appeared from? And where had the doppelganger disappeared to?

Matt was now eyeing him warily. "Becker? You okay?"

"Yeah, what's wrong with you, mate?" Connor asked.

But before Becker could answer either of them, Jess's voice came through the comms. "He just stood up and is on the move," she said, her voice sounding less calm than it had.

"Which way, Jess?" Matt asked.

"Hold on. ... Okay, I've got both you and him on cameras now. He's heading...let's see...north, towards the gate to your right."

Matt and the others turned away from the switchbacks and took off sprinting for the next bridge. Becker followed, still feeling a bit disorientated. After all, how could Jess be certain whom she was tracking? And how could any of them expect to find this doppelganger when he and Matt kept switching places? Perhaps Matt should wear some sort of hat, Becker thought, in order to prevent such confusion.

But before he could make this suggestion, Jess announced, "Wait, he's turning back the other way now. It seems he's heading towards the other gate again."

"Jess, we're already here," Matt said, only a few metres from the new gate. "Shouldn't we just get into the Stadium?"

"It's mayhem inside - at this point there's way more spectators inside than out. You're better off going back around to the other gate and entering from there."

Becker and the others turned and headed back from whence they came. They reached the other bridge and crowded their way to the front of the queue, to the loud objections of those waiting patiently. Matt started talking to someone at one of the ticket stands, presumably trying to explain to the Gamesmaker in the red-and-purple jacket why they should be let in.

Only Becker didn't hear a word of it - all he could hear was the pounding of his racing heart. As he tried to catch his breath, the world again started to spin, and he felt a sudden whoosh through his ears like a giant wave crashing down.

As his knees began to buckle beneath him, he heard Jess cry out "Becker!" in his ear before everything went black.

...

to be continued


	49. Ch 49 FADE TO BLACK

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 49 - FADE TO BLACK

...

Jess watched in horror as Becker collapsed...and the camera feeds spontaneously went black! She sat there for a split second simply staring at the monitors, not certain what to do first. She then realised the cameras could wait - Becker needed medics straightaway! She called medical, immediately dispatching them to Olympic Park, even as she searched the web for a first aid contact at the Stadium itself. She then rang the Games first aid, giving them precise directions as to where they could find the "collapsed spectator", even as her fingers flew across the keyboard, sending a map and detailed directions to the ARC's medical 4x4. And all this whilst she was listening to the team's frantic conversation over the comms.

"Becker!"

"Matt! Get over here, mate!"

"What happened?"

"I don't know. He just...collapsed."

"He is burning up!"

"I can't find a pulse."

"No, but he is alive. His heart is beating - racing, in fact!

"What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know."

"He looks like hell."

"Jess, you need to send us medics straightaway."

"Already done, Matt," Jess replied, having just rung off with the Games staff member. "Someone from the Park should be with you presently, and I've sent out ARC medics as well."

"And Jess, where's the other Matt?" Abby asked. "Is he getting away?"

"I don't know." Jess returned her attention to hacking into the CCTV feeds, but it was no use. She'd been too careless - she never should've risked viewing both camera feeds simultaneously, never should've stayed on them for so long. They'd obviously discovered her on the system and permanently blocked her from logging back on. As she continued to try other routes, other passwords, she explained, "I lost the feeds, and now they're blocking me."

"Matt, you should go," Abby insisted.

"Yeah, we'll stay here with Becker," Connor added.

But Matt seemed to be ignoring them, instead asking into the comms, "Jess, you were with Becker last night. Was there any indication something was wrong?"

Jess gulped uncomfortably, being thus reminded of her date. She thought it wrong that Becker had no longer seemed attracted to her, but somehow she didn't think that's what Matt was asking. "Um, no," she managed to get out. "He seemed...healthy enough last night. ... Other than a headache, that is," she added, suddenly wondering if that had been an early symptom of whatever was afflicting him now.

"Matt. Look at this." Emily's voice sounded grave, and Jess tried even more frantically to hack back into the camera feeds, anxious to see what Emily was referring to.

Whatever it was, Matt clearly didn't like the look of it. "Jess, how soon till medics arrive?"

Before she could answer, Connor announced, "Here come some first aiders."

Jess breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that at least someone had arrived, before glancing at the map to see how far the ARC medics had gotten, fervently wishing they'd get there faster. Jess attempted to listen to the voices of the Games medics through the team's comms, straining to hear what they were saying, so she jumped when she suddenly heard a loud voice behind her.

"What's happening?" Lester inquired.

"Becker's collapsed," Jess explained frantically, "and I've lost the camera feeds, and now we've no idea where the doppelganger is, and I-"

"Jess," Lester said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "One thing at a time. Becker collapsed?"

She nodded. "We're not sure why. But Games first aid staff are with him now, and ARC medics are en route. But I've lost the camera feeds and-"

"Here," Lester said, grabbing an earpiece. "Let me talk to the medics; you concentrate on those camera feeds."

Jess nodded, leaning over to set up a secure line with Matt, but Lester had already done so himself.

"Matt, this is Lester - what are they saying?" he began as Jess returned her attention to the cameras, trying to find a back door into the system as she listened to the radio traffic.

"Seems Becker might have contracted septicaemium from those _Iberomesornis _scratches," Matt replied. "He's got all the symptoms: high fevre, elevated heart rate, rapid breathing, low blood pressure."

"Mental confusion," Abby added. "He seemed a bit out of it right before he collapsed."

"Understood. So what's to be done?"

"They're saying we should get him to hospital straightaway; any delay in getting him antibiotics will merely increase the risk of mortality."

At this, Jess gasped. Lester gave her hand a comforting pat as he asked into the comms, "Besides antibiotics, what does he need?"

"Oxygen, meds and fluids by IV to maintain his blood pressure, and drainage of the infected fluids."

Lester glanced at Jess before saying, "The ARC can handle all that. Let's bring him back here." He then asked Jess directly, "How long till the ARC medics get there?"

Jess glanced at the map, following their blackboxes upon the screen. "They're almost to the car park now. They should be there any-"

"Have them wait at the 4x4," Matt ordered. "It'll be quicker for the Games medics to transport him there."

"I'll let them know," Jess said, frantically sending the message to the ARC medics, her hands shaking and her heart racing as Matt's earlier words echoed over and over in her head.

Risk of mortality! Risk of mortality! Risk of mortality!

...

As Becker's eyes slowly opened, he saw Jess sitting at his side. She had dark circles under her eyes and looked nothing like the cheery Jess he knew. Their eyes met, and he saw the look of deep concern change to one of relief, followed by one of guilt, and she instantly let go his hand, as if she'd been doing something wrong.

Becker's mind began to process, and he realised that, if Jess were here, than he was probably no longer at the Stadium, which meant...

"Did we catch him?" the soldier asked frantically, sitting up abruptly.

"Careful!" Jess scolded, jumping to her feet and trying to steady him as he suddenly realised his arm was attached to a tube. "Lie down."

But Becker needed to know. "Matt. Did we find him?"

Jess shook her head, intense guilt shining through her eyes. Becker fell back against the pillows, devastated. Here had been their one chance to find out the truth about the future, and he'd blown it. He could only imagine how angry everyone must be - hell, he was furious with himself. He never should've gone out with the team, but how was he to know he was going to black out?

"Do you remember anything?" Jess asked.

Becker shook his head, which he realised was no longer throbbing as it had been. "Why did I...?" he began, wondering what had caused him to end up here.

"You've blood poisoning," Jess explained. Becker frowned, trying to comprehend what she was saying. "Septicaemia, whatever. From those scratches you got." Becker instantly reached for his temple, but she intercepted his hand, ordering, "Don't. They have to be kept sterile."

"Blood poisoning?" Becker repeated. So that's why his head had been pounding so. "I'm sure my cold didn't help either," he mumbled absently to himself.

Jess frowned. "Cold? Becker, the medics say the bacteria have been in your bloodstream for days. Fevre, chills, body aches - if that's what you were feeling, it wasn't a cold."

So the reason he'd felt like rubbish for days was all due to those damn bird scratches. "So I could've kissed you," he realised, as he was fairly certain blood poisoning wasn't contagious.

Jess stared at him, surprised. "Kissed me?" she repeated.

He nodded. "I didn't want you getting sick."

Jess smiled, and despite the circles under her eyes, it was the loveliest sight he'd ever seen. He squeezed her hand, which he hadn't let go of since she'd stopped him from touching his scratches, and turned his head slightly so he could kiss it tenderly.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Jess asked. "Why didn't you simply tell me you were sick?"

Becker shrugged. "I didn't want you to worry." Though now, seeing the circles under her eyes, he realised he hadn't exactly succeeded.

Jess nodded, staring at him. "I should... I should probably inform the medics you're..." She started to stand, but he clung to her hand.

"Don't," he mumbled. "Stay." Jess sat back down, and Becker closed his eyes. "Just talk to me," he mumbled. "I like to hear your voice."

"Talk about what?"

"Whatever. Anything. What's been going on."

He heard Jess give a little laugh. "All that's been going on is I've been sat by your bedside for the past two days, worried out of my head that we were going to lose you."

Becker opened his eyes, surprised. "Two days?" Surely it'd only been an hour or two.

But Jess nodded. "It's Friday afternoon. You've been in and out ever since they brought you in yesterday morning, don't you remember? You kept mumbling something about a hat."

Becker recalled his idea about making the real Matt wear a hat, though it no longer made as much sense as it had at the time.

But he was too tired to think about such things. Closing his eyes again, he murmured, "Tell me a story."

"A story?"

"Yeah. Tell me the story of that film."

"What film?"

"_Brave_. I don't remember it, but I like the way you tell it."

He heard Jess give a little laugh before she began, "Well, once upon a time there was this little red-headed princess..."

And Becker dozed off almost instantly to the soothing sounds of Jess's lilting voice.

...

to be continued


	50. Ch 50 NOCTURNAL NARRATIONS

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 50 - NOCTURNAL NARRATIONS

...

"Spending the night again, Parker?"

Jess jumped at the sound of Lester's voice. "What are you doing here so late?" she asked, being sure to keep her voice low so as not to awaken Becker.

"Making sure you eat," he answered gruffly, handing her a bag of warm takeaway. "Can't have any more of my staff collapsing."

Jess smiled up at him. "Thank you."

He shrugged if off, as if his kind gesture meant nothing. "So how's he doing?"

"His fevre finally broke, though he still seems a bit out of it. The medics say he's responding well to the antibiotics - seems these prehistoric bacteria aren't nearly as resistant as today's strains, thank goodness!"

Lester nodded absently, his attention having wandered to the stack of assorted firearms magazines upon her lap. He raised a sardonic eyebrow, asking, "Planning on filling in for Becker till he's fit for duty again?"

Jess smiled, closing the issue of _Gun Mart_ she'd been skimming. "He wanted me to read to him - as I said, he's still a bit out of it. I figured he'd prefer these to the latest issue of _Look_."

"So those mags really DO have articles," he commented drily.

Jess rolled her eyes. "You never answered my question. Why are you here so late? I thought you were going home for the weekend."

Lester shook his head. "With my wife not back till Sunday, I figured there was no point. Might as well come in to work, as we're a few men down."

Jess felt instantly guilty. "I'm sorry. I'll get back to work tomorrow. I just..." She trailed off, looking at Becker asleep on the gurney. She'd been so scared, the idea of leaving his side hadn't even occurred to her. But the medics were well pleased with his recovery so far, and whilst he still needed a bit more time before he was completely out of the woods, his prognosis was good.

"Don't worry about it, Parker," Lester said with a shrug. "I can always fill in at the hub when necessary - I'm rather starting to catch on."

Jess smiled, remembering how he'd set up his comms by himself yesterday. "You trying to work me out of a job?" she teased.

"Are you mad? Give up my comfy office and tailored suits simply to sit at the hub and watch the Olympics all day?"

Jess rolled her eyes. "Well, the Games are almost over anyway - only two more days! And as I said, I'll be back at my station first thing tomorrow."

"Promises, promises," Lester grumbled. He started to go before turning back, asking awkwardly, "So...uh...how is...everything?"

Jess looked at him blankly, not sure to what he was referring.

He nodded towards Becker and then back at her. "You know. Did you...uh...get things all sorted?"

Jess creased her brow, still lost.

Lester gave a frustrated sigh. "The walls in your flat are ridiculously thin, Parker, remember?"

The implication of his statement hit her, and she felt a wave of embarrassment as she realised he must've overheard her pathetic post-date breakdown to the girls the other night. Of course, now Becker's actions that night all made sense - he'd thought he'd a cold, so he'd been desperate not to get her sick. It was incredibly sweet...and incredibly stupid, as the fact that he'd hid his illness meant a delay in his treatment, a delay which could've proved deadly. But he was now on the path to recovery, and Jess planned to keep him heading in that direction, even if it meant having to wait till he was a bit more himself before giving him a proper scolding.

"We're fine," she said simply, certain Lester wouldn't be interested in the details. "It was...just a misunderstanding."

Lester nodded as he headed for the door, mumbling, "Good, good." Upon reaching the door, he turned to ask, "Do you need anything from your flat? I could always-"

Jess shook her head. "Emily's bringing me a change of clothes in the morning, but thanks."

Lester shrugged. "Then I'd best leave you to your dinner. I don't want Sleeping Beauty suddenly waking up and declaring that *I* should start wearing a hat."

Jess laughed, giving him a cheerful, "Goodnight," as he left. Then, turning back around, she glanced from Becker's sleeping form to the laptop upon the counter to the bag of warm food on her lap. Lester was right - it were as if the ARC had lost two team members, for she'd done nothing useful since Becker's collapse. She hopped out of her chair and scurried over to her laptop. She needed to try hacking back into the Games CCTV feeds, and she could surely do that whilst sitting at Becker's bedside. Placing her laptop upon her knees and turning it on, she grabbed a handful of pub chips as she waited for it to boot, realising she had a long night ahead of her.

...

Becker awoke to utter stillness. It was dark and silent as a morgue, and Becker shivered, sensing just how close he'd come to ending up in one.

But as his senses came into focus, he realised that all was not as placid as he'd first thought. There was a faint sound of clicking keys coming from the same direction as the dim glow that illuminated Jess's intense face as she typed away on her laptop.

Becker took this opportunity to stare at her and take her all in. Usually when he saw her, he simply saw "Jess", his workmate, his friend, his companion. But now he was studying her, noticing every feature, from her long lashes framing her eyes to the dark circles beneath them, the crease of concentration in her brow to the way she absently bit her lower lip as she focused on the screen in front of her. And whilst her face was pretty, these details spoke of more her inner beauty, for they demonstrated how she put her whole self into her work and her friendships. He was suddenly conscious of the fact that she hadn't left his side since he'd been brought in, and for some reason this meant the world to him.

He then recalled what he'd said to her the other night, and he realised it was now more true than ever. His feelings for Jess had progressed from simple caring and attraction to something much deeper, and _love_ seemed the best word to describe how he now felt. She was truly amazing, both inside and out, and he longed to hold her close, to let her know exactly how he felt.

But he couldn't, not with this bloody tube in his arm. And from the stillness of the room, it was certainly the middle of the night, yet Jess was still hard at work. The circles under her eyes made it clear she needed to get some sleep, and he was determined to take care of her as she had of him.

"You need to sleep."

His quiet voice sounded quite loud in the stillness, and Jess started, nearly dropping her computer off her lap.

"Sorry," he hastily apologised.

"No worries," she was quick to reassure him. "How are you feeling?"

"Like it's late and you need to sleep."

Jess gave a weak smile. "I didn't wake you, did I?" When he shook his head, she breathed a sigh of relief. "I just... I'm trying to hack back into the camera feeds, but it's no use. We're locked out, and it's all my fault."

Becker reached out to take her hand, the tube in his arm stretching almost to its full length. "But without you, we never would've gotten in and spotted him in the first place. So you shouldn't be blaming yourself." He stopped speaking, though his thoughts continued silently: _You should be blaming me_.

Jess nodded, but clearly she was still feeling guilty. She was also clearly exhausted, and he quickly pointed out, "You can try again in the morning, yeah? But you need your sleep."

"But I just-"

"Jessica," he said with a strength he wasn't aware he'd regained. "Stop torturing yourself." His voice softened as he teased, "Now put down the laptop, and no one gets hurt."

She laughed. "Is that a threat?"

"Absolutely. I'll climb out of this bed, I'll even yank this drip out of my arm if I have to. Whatever it takes to get you into bed."

Jess grinned coyly at him. "I'm afraid that'll have to wait until you're better. But look, I'm turning it off, okay?"

After waiting a moment for the computer to shutdown, she folded closed the laptop, plunging them into darkness.

"Well, that was stupid," she mumbled to herself as she attempted to stumble her way across the room in the dark.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"The Quiet Room," she answered, as if it were obvious.

"This room's quiet," Becker said, suddenly desperate for her not to leave. "Pull up a gurney - we can at least fall asleep holding hands."

Jess smiled and carefully made her way back across the room, rolling the adjacent gurney over to his before climbing upon it.

"You'll need blankets," he said, remembering how cold she got when she slept and feeling bad that he couldn't provide the warmth she needed at present.

Jess nodded, hopping off the gurney and grabbing some blankets from the medical cabinet. She then returned, lying down atop the gurney. By now Becker's eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and he smiled at her pretty face as he reached out to take her hand.

"I meant it, you know," he said. At her wrinkled brow, he quickly clarified, "What I said the other night."

"You really think Matt should wear a hat?" she managed to say with a straight face, but he caught the glint of mischief in her eyes.

He tenderly squeezed her hand as he teased back, "Absolutely. Perhaps a blue one...to match mine," hoping she'd catch the reference.

She obviously did, for her face suddenly flushed red, no doubt recalling the Young Lovers statue from Hatwalk. Pleased with her reaction, Becker closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep with the image of her embarrassed smile still in his head.

He dreamt of naught but her, and having studied her features so intently, his dreams seemed even more focused. It were as if he were watching a film, his thoughts a voiceover narrating every observation.

_What he now saw was a tall and beautiful creature, endowed with all the charms and graces of womanhood at the precise moment when these are still mingled with the innocence of childhood. Soft chestnut hair flecked with gold, cheeks like rose-petals, an exquisite mouth, its smile like sunshine, like music. Nothing could have been more alluring than that smile from beneath lowered lids. Her eyes were a deep, azure blue, but their candid gaze was still that of a child. Passing near her, one was conscious of the pervasive, youthful fragrance that her whole being exhaled._

_Seeing that he did not come to her, she went to him. Every woman in these circumstances resembles Muhammad's mountain. And besides, although shyness is the first sign of true love in a youth, boldness is its token in a maid. The sexes are drawing close, and in doing so, each assumes the qualities of the other._

Becker had never thought of it that way before, but his dream narration made sense. It was definitely true that Jess had made all the first moves, and he was awfully glad she had, for he couldn't be more pleased.

_It was in this sense that she loved Marius, as something charming, dazzling and impossible. _

It were as if a record scratch had sounded amongst Becker's thoughts, interrupting his happy slumbers. Who the hell was this Marius bloke, and why was he invading Becker's dreams?

Yet the narration resumed.

_She looked forward throughout their walks to the moment when she would see Marius. They did not speak nor exchange greetings. They saw each other, and like stars separated by the measureless spaces of the sky, they lived on the sight of one another._

Becker tried to rouse himself, now thoroughly confused by where his dreams were taking him, and finally managed to awaken enough to open his eyes.

_"Thus did Cosette gradually grow into womanhood, beautiful and ardent, conscious of her beauty but ignorant of her love. And, for good measure, a coquette by reason of her innocence._"

"Emily?"

The girl put down her book. "Oh, you have awoken. How are you feeling? Shall I contact the medic? He is just in the other room."

Becker groggily shook his head. "What are you doing here? Where's Jess?"

"She is at the hub, trying to resume her...hacking," Emily said tentatively, clearly uncertain as to whether she was using the word properly. "She asked me to sit with you, as she did not wish you to awaken alone. And she indicated that you liked to be read to," she explained, gesturing to the large tome she'd now set aside.

"Thanks," Becker nodded, not sure when exactly her words had begun to invade his dreams.

"She also requested I bring you these," she said, indicating a folded pile of clothes which included pyjama bottoms. Standing, she added, "Now that you are awake, unless you need anything further, I shall leave you." She picked up her book and started to head out, but Becker stopped her.

"Would you mind...leaving your book?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant. "I've nothing to do but lie here for the day."

Emily, however, smiled knowingly at him as she handed over her heavy tome.

"Monsieur Hugo certainly knows of what he writes, does he not?" she commented pointedly before walking out of the room.

...

to be continued

[Author's Note: I took the liberty of editing the portion of _Les Mis_ that Becker overhears with the excuse that he's dozing in and out of semiconsciousness and therefore is not hearing all of it. : ) But I thought the description of Cosette fit Jess extremely well (even though she always has blonde hair in the musical!) - the description is WAY longer than what I've included and it ALL fits, but I tried to pare it down to the most appropriate sections.]


	51. Ch 51 MEETING IN MEDICAL

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 51 - MEETING IN MEDICAL

...

Her fingers flying across the keyboard, Jess gave a frustrated sigh as she realised yet another avenue had been closed off to her.

"No luck?"

Jess turned away from the hub to face the team leader. "I'm afraid not. It seems I've tried everything, but I can't-"

"Jess." Matt gave an understanding nod, adding simply, "Save it for the meeting, yeah?"

"Meeting?" This was the first she'd heard of it.

"Yeah. Sorry I didn't get the message to you sooner. We're meeting in," he glanced at his watch, "about ten minutes to determine how to proceed. Lester's office."

Jess frowned. "But what about Becker? He's senior staff. Shouldn't he be in on it, too?"

Matt shrugged. "Yeah, but I doubt Lester would agree to meeting in medical."

"I've an idea," Jess said, hopping out of her seat and rushing off down the corridor. When she got to medical, she found Becker dozing on the gurney ... with Emily's copy of _Les Mis_ beside him. Jess carefully pulled the book out from under his hands, worried it might fall off the bed and awaken him. Unfortunately the movement itself awoke him, and she quickly apologised. "Sorry. Didn't mean to disturb you. I take it Emily left you this to help you sleep?"

"Something like that," Becker mumbled. He took in her outfit and frowned. "What are you wearing?"

Jess blushed. "Emily brought me clean clothes," she explained. "She's...imminently practical."

Becker laughed. "That's a good word for it."

It felt so good to hear him laugh, Jess didn't even mind that it was at her expense. "Here," she said, handing him an earpiece. "The senior staff are holding a meeting, and I thought you should be included."

Becker smiled. "Thanks. And...thanks for these," he said, gesturing to the pyjama bottoms he was now wearing.

Jess nodded. "Now that you're starting to feel better, I thought you'd prefer having something you could move about in without, you know, flashing the medical staff."

Becker nodded. "It's much appreciated ... by ME, at least!"

Jess laughed before glancing at her watch. "Ooh. The meeting's about to start. I'll set you up so you're on speaker phone in Lester's office. Now remember, that means no comments under your breath - everyone will hear you."

Becker pretended to look offended. "Comments? Me? When have I ever-?"

Jess leant over to give him a quick peck. "Gotta go." But before she could leave, he grabbed her and pulled her down for a proper kiss. It felt so good, she had to force herself to pull away, insisting, "We can do that later. I'm late."

She sprinted back to Ops and scurried into Lester's office, only to find she was the first one there. She hastily set up the comm link as the others arrived and took their seats.

"So," Lester began as he paced behind his desk, "what do we know?"

Matt looked to Jess, and she nodded, explaining, "I've tried everything I can think of, but it seems we're completely locked out of the Olympic camera feeds now. I'm so sorry - it's all my fault. I never should've stayed on both cameras for so long. If I hadn't been so careless, we'd still be able to-"

"Jess, this meeting's not about placing blame," Matt insisted. "We just need to assess where we're at, yeah?"

Jess nodded, still feeling guilty, as she summarised, "Right. Well, it seems the cameras are no longer an option for tracking down Matt's double."

"That's assuming he even returns to the stadium," Lester pointed out.

"Chances are, he will," Abby said. "My guess is he was there for a reason - perhaps there's going to be an anomaly or something."

"But even so, how're we gonna find him?" Connor asked. "The stadium seats over 80,000 people - it's mostly luck that Jess found him in the first place, even with full access to the cameras. And it's not like we can just roam about ourselves, hoping to spot him."

"True, WE can't," Becker's voice sounded over the comms, "but why not have the Games staff keep an eye out for him?"

Lester, however, rolled his eyes, grumbling, "We don't need any more 'hat' suggestions from the peanut gallery."

But Jess recognised what the soldier had been trying to say. "No, listen - Becker has a point. The Games staff, as a whole, see every spectator who enters Olympic Park. We could send out, like, an APW to the Olympic officials, telling their staff to keep a look out for this man and, if spotted, to...detain him or something till we get there."

"It's worth a shot," Matt agreed. "I mean, what harm, yeah? If he shows up again, that could give us a chance to talk to him. And if not..." He trailed off, shrugging.

Lester sighed. "Guess I'll be spending the rest of my morning on the phone."

Matt nodded. "And we'd best go take a photo of me to fax over."

"Wot?" Connor teased. "You don't wanna send in them candids from last year's Christmas party?"

At Matt's embarrassed reaction, Emily grinned. "Considering how red your face is turning, I, for one, would quite like to see those photographs."

Ignoring her comment, Matt announced simply, "I think we're done with this meeting, yeah?"

But as the team started to disperse, Jess leant over to Emily, letting her know, "I've still got the photos on my computer. Come with me."

...

"Hey."

Becker looked up from his book to see the team leader entering the room.

"Emily told me you were feeling a bit better," Matt continued. "And I just spoke to the medics - they said another day or two with the infusion pump and you'll be well enough to go home."

Becker nodded - they'd told him the same thing. "Yeah, just in time to go HOME home."

Matt smiled. "It'll definitely be nice to have some privacy again. Though I somehow doubt you'll be getting much of that for some time." When Becker gave him a blank look, Matt clarified, "I've a feeling Jess won't let you be till the medics give you a clean bill of health. She was awfully scared, you know? ... We all were."

Becker was instantly racked with guilt. "Look, Matt. I'm sorry. I never should've gone out with the team. If I hadn't-"

"Don't." Matt held up his hand to stop him. "It's not your fault. Not going after him - that was a choice. MY choice. My father was wrong, you see - there are things more important than any mission." From Matt's look, it was clear he valued Becker's well-being more than any insight he might've gained from talking to his future self. "But NEXT time you'll let me know you're feeling ill, yeah?" he teased.

"Good God, let's hope there's not a next time."

"Next time for what?" Connor asked, entering.

Becker rolled his eyes. "What're you doing here, Temple?"

"Checking up on you. Abby wanted to make sure you didn't need nothing."

Matt frowned. "Why didn't Abby come herself?"

Becker was wondering the same thing.

"You kidding? Tear her away from watching Taekwondo? You'd have to be on your deathbed for her...to..." He trailed off, realising he'd just stuck his foot in it, and the room fell into an awkward silence. Quickly trying to change the subject, he blurted out, "I'm guessing this experience didn't help your fear of birds none, yeah, seeing as how they tried to kill you and all?"

Matt turned to Becker, raising a curious eyebrow. "You're scared of birds?"

But before Becker could respond with anything more than a growl, Jess and Emily walked in.

"What are you all doing here?" Jess asked, clearly surprised to find the room so busy.

"Same as you, I s'pose," Connor replied.

Becker somehow doubted that.

Emily gestured to the copy of _Les Mis_ on the bedside tray. "I meant to tell you to be certain to read the chapter on Waterloo. Monsieur Hugo goes on for nearly fifty pages about the battle. Terrible tragedy - so many soldiers lost on both sides." She shuddered and shook her head, as if trying to clear the horrific battle images from her mind. It suddenly occurred to Becker that the Napoleonic Wars were to Emily what World War II was to the rest of the team - even closer, in fact. It was sometimes hard to remember what a different world view she held.

But obviously Jess wasn't interested in anyone's world views at present. "I don't mean to be mean, but Becker needs his rest now, so everyone needs to clear out."

Although she wasn't a medic, no one questioned her. They all said their goodbyes and hurried out.

"Actually, you know, I'm not that sleepy," Becker confessed as Jess herself headed for the corridor.

"Good," she said simply, closing the door behind the others and then heading back towards the gurney.

"Good?" he asked a split second before her lips were on his. He couldn't help but laugh, and she instantly pulled away, looking confused and a bit hurt. "You sent them away just for that?" he asked.

Jess gave a tentative nod, clearly unsure of what his reaction might be.

"Just checking," he said with a grin as he put his hand on the back of her head and pulled her lips back down to his.

...

to be continued


	52. Ch 52 NGTBTSA

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 52 - NEVER GOING TO BE THE SAME AGAIN

...

Jess was extremely relieved that Becker was back to his old self again. Not completely, of course - he still had a tube attached to his arm and had spent most of the day dozing in medical. But the Becker that liked her, that found her attractive, that couldn't get enough of her touch - THAT Becker was back, and Jess couldn't have been happier.

Of course, she was still feeling guilty about losing the camera feeds, but knowing that Lester had gotten the APW out to the Games staff took some of the pressure off. Connor was right - it had been mostly luck that she'd managed to spot the other Matt in the crowd. But now, with hundreds of eyes on the look-out for him, it was likely he'd be caught...if he did, in fact, return to the Stadium.

So Jess set about her normal routine, finally getting some real work done for the first time in days, yet there was a lingering feeling of melancholy that she couldn't quite shake...or even identify. It wasn't till mid-afternoon, when Connor joined her and Abby at the hub for the Taekwondo semifinals, that she realised why.

"Just think," Connor commented as the three flatmates watched the competitors kicking and punching each other on the mat, "this is one of the last times we'll ever do this."

"Shirk your duties?" Lester asked drily as he walked by. "I somehow doubt that."

But Connor ignored their sarcastic guv'nor, instead continuing, "No, I mean just the three of us, watching telly together. Come Monday, me and Abby'll be getting the keys to our new place. It's never gonna be the same again."

Abby nodded. "And the Olympics are over tomorrow night, yeah? That seems weird, too - they've become such a part of our lives."

"But there's still the Paralympics," Jess said, trying to cheer herself up. "They'll be fun, too, yeah?"

And while she was certain they would be, she was still feeling down, knowing Connor had been spot-on with his observation - everything was about to change, and nothing would ever be the same again.

So the melancholy lingered, and Becker noticed it the moment she arrived in medical to eat their evening meal together. "What's wrong?" he asked, sounding worried.

Jess shrugged. "The Olympics are almost over."

Becker nodded, his eyebrow raised. "As are our ridiculous extra shifts, working every weekend, sleeping on the floor, and sharing a toilet with six other people. So I ask again - what's wrong?"

"Okay, okay, you have a point," Jess conceded, laughing. "But it hasn't been ALL bad. It's been fun having something that we can all watch together. And I like having people to come home to ... and people to share a bed with," she added shyly.

"Well," Becker began, "the medics might want someone to stay with me for a bit. You wouldn't know anyone who might be interested in taking on such a hardship, would you?"

Jess grinned and leant over to give him a kiss, realising time alone with Becker was definitely a change to look forward to. But their lips had barely touched when the klaxons started blaring.

"Dammit," Jess grumbled under her breath as she hurried out of medical and down the long corridors to Ops.

When she arrived, Lester was already sat in her seat, clearly feeling overwhelmed at the questions he was being bombarded with. "I think it's...no, wait...yes, it seems to be...at the Stadium?" From his tone of voice, it was unclear whether he doubted the ADD itself or merely his ability to decipher its readings.

Jess leant across him to tap out the necessary commands on the keyboard before confirming, "I'm afraid he's right - the anomaly's at Olympic Stadium."

Matt heaved a sigh as Connor cheerily pointed out, "Well, at least we know how to get there."

Jess's heart sank as she realised the implications. "But we won't have any access to the camera feeds."

"Then we'll just have to make do," Matt replied. "C'mon. Let's assemble the team."

Yet everyone continued to simply stand there, as if waiting for something. Suddenly it occurred to Jess - Becker always passed out the blackboxes, and without him there, no one was stepping up. As Jess was stood right beside them, she quickly picked up the tracking devices and started tossing them to the others. As she grabbed up the last one, she held it for a moment, staring at it, before blurting out, "Matt, I've an idea. I can't access the cameras from here, but if I were to get into the security viewing room at the Stadium itself, I'd be able to guide you."

Matt frowned. "But what about the hub?"

"As Connor said, we know how to get there, and Lester should be able to handle our communication needs. And really, without the cameras, there's not much else I could do from here anyway."

"If there's an incursion," Abby began, "having the cameras would be useful."

"Especially as we are a man down," Emily pointed out.

Matt nodded. "As long as Lester's okay with it."

"Yes, yes, I'm perfectly capable of handling things here," Lester said. "Now GO, before some T-Rex decides to eat the entire Swiss track team - Lord knows how we'd explain THAT to the LOC!"

Jess automatically reached for her handbag and ran out with the others, her heart pounding in her chest, wondering what exactly she'd just let herself in for.

...

Becker knew he wasn't up for going out with the team - that was a no-brainer - but that didn't mean he wasn't anxious to know what was going on. The moment Jess had run out, Becker had picked up the earpiece he'd used during the morning staff meeting, hoping that Jess would think to set up the comms so he could hear. After several minutes of silence, though, he realised it simply mustn't have occurred to her. Now, as far as Becker was concerned, sitting here alone, without knowing what was going on with the team, was not an option, so there was only one thing for it - he'd have to make the long trip down to Ops.

Instead of asking for permission, which might have been denied, he merely called into the office where the on-duty medic was working, announcing, "I'm off to Ops." The girl raised a doubtful eyebrow but said nothing, not even a "Need a hand?" Becker gave a frustrated sigh as he grabbed hold of the wheeled pole suspending his infusion pump and headed out of medical.

He went slowly, not wanting to risk tripping and yanking the drip from his forearm, though that wasn't the only reason. Other than short trips to the toilet in medical bay, Becker had been flat on his back for almost three days. As such, he'd thought he was doing much better. And, of course, he was - his head had stopped throbbing, his fevre was gone, and the bacteria in his circulation were mostly driven off. But now that he was upright, he realised he was nowhere near back to normal, as even the simple walk down the corridors was winding him. He kept hoping that Jess would set up his comms so he could simply stop where he was and follow the team's actions via the radio traffic, but no such luck. So he plodded on, knowing that Jess would take care of him once he made it to Ops.

Yet as he finally reached Lester's office and headed for the stairs, the sight at the hub made him stop. He stared, wondering if his fevre had returned, for surely he was now seeing things.

"Jess?" he called out doubtfully.

"Do I LOOK like bloody Jess?" Lester snapped back at him before adding, "And what are you doing out of bed?"

"I...uh...," Becker stammered, glancing about, wondering where Jess had rushed off to...and why.

But clearly someone was talking to Lester for he replied into his earpiece, "Yes, Becker just showed up here in Ops. ...Well, how should *I* know? ... Why don't you simply tell him yourself? ... Oh, right. Now how do I do that?"

Lester turned his back to Becker, frantically searching the keyboards for the right buttons to press, as the soldier asked, "Where's Jess?"

But before his boss could answer, Becker suddenly heard Jess's voice in his earpiece.

"Becker, what the hell are you doing out of bed? You're sick, remember? Did Mel simply let you go? And PLEASE don't tell me you yanked the drip out of your arm - don't you know you need that to-?"

"Jess, where are you?" Becker managed to get out, thoroughly confused.

"I'm...with the team, but that doesn't matter right now. What matters is you getting back to medical and-"

"The team?" Becker repeated back blankly, feeling severely disorientated - since when did the ARC have a team of coordinators?

"The anomaly's at the Stadium, you see," Jess explained, "and the Games cameras are no longer accessible from the ARC, so if there's an incursion, we'll need to be able to-"

"You went out with the TEAM?!" Becker finally understood and was furious. "Jessica, what the hell were you thinking? You have no business out in the field."

"What is THAT supposed to mean?" she asked, sounding a bit peeved herself.

"Guys," Matt's calm voice sounded over the comms, making Becker realise their entire conversation had been overheard. "Let's all calm down, yeah? Everything's under control. We're almost to the car park. Now Becker, you need to get back to bed-"

"I'm not leaving Ops while Je-the team is out in the field!" Becker insisted, even though he wasn't technically in Ops yet as he hadn't the strength to carry his infusion pump down the stairs.

"Fine," Matt said. "Then have a seat and let us get down to business, yeah? Lester, do we know what time period this anomaly leads to yet?"

"Time period?" Lester repeated back blankly, staring with confusion at the keyboards at the hub. "Um ... well ... Jess?"

"I'm afraid it's too complicated to explain over the comms," Jess replied. "We'll simply have to wait and get a reading with the handheld calculator when we arrive."

Becker felt another surge of anger. If Jess were here, where she was MEANT to be, she'd be able to tell them in an instant. How could she have been so reckless?

Lester, however, was clearly wondering the same thing about Becker for he rushed over, saying, "If you're going to insist on staying, I suppose we'd best get you safely in a chair - I don't need you collapsing again when I'm meant to be watching the hub."

The flustered bureaucrat hurried up the stairs, taking hold of the infusion pump pole and carefully helping Becker down the few steps to Ops. Once they reached the bottom and the rolling stand was securely back down on the ground, Lester rushed back to the hub to try to upload a map to answer Matt's latest question.

But Temple answered instead, "Matt, it's a right on Rick Roberts Way - I remember Jess's tongue-twister."

"And then it's a right at the roundabout into the car park," Jess added as Becker finally reached the hub and stared at the blackbox locations on the map as the three vehicles approached the roundabout.

This was going to be unlike any anomaly Becker had ever before experienced.

...

to be continued


	53. Ch 53 DEFINITELY DIFFERENT

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 53 - DEFINITELY DIFFERENT

...

As Jess sprinted through Olympic Park with the rest of the team, she tried to take it all in. Despite all the images and videos she'd seen, the park definitely looked different in person, and she felt a thrill to actually be seeing it for herself.

Of course, she was also feeling loads of adrenaline from simply being out with the team. It felt so different to be out in the field, to be the one rushing towards the unknown instead of simply viewing it all on a map. And she was extremely thankful that Emily had chosen her outfit today, since trousers and trainers were probably far easier to run in than what Jess would've chosen to wear herself.

Not that she was going to be in the thick of things. As soon as they reached the Stadium, Jess was planning to head straight for the security viewing room - wherever it happened to be - so she'd be able to direct the team via the cameras and help with any incursion.

IF they ever reached the Stadium. They'd made it through Greenway Gate without a hitch, but once inside, the park seemed to stretch on and on forever! And it was starting to occur to Jess that it was much more deserted than she'd envisioned.

Connor must've noticed the same thing for he suddenly asked, "Oi! Where is everyone?"

"Perhaps there aren't that many events tonight?" Jess suggested, trying to remember. "Lester, what's on the schedule?" she asked into the comms.

"Events?" Lester asked blankly. "Um...am I to find that somewhere on this map?"

"No," Becker's voice came through, "try the London 2012 site."

"And where is-? Hey! None of that! I'm the one in charge of the hub."

"Then hurry it up."

After a loud minute, during which Jess could easily envision the ridiculous altercation for control of the keyboards, Lester finally announced, "Okay, Jess, we've got the site open. Now where are we to find the schedule?"

"There?" Becker suggested drily, and Jess was certain the soldier was pointing to the large button declaring "Schedule & Results", the one she herself had pushed many a time over the last fortnight.

Lester's frustrated sigh could be heard over the comms. "Let's see. Hmmm. Saturday the 11th. It seems that tonight there's athletics, taekwondo, volleyball, wrestling-"

"Expand the Athletics tab," Jess said, quickly clarifying, "Just click on the rectangle on the timeline. All we care about is what's going on at the Stadium."

"Oh, right," Lester replied. "According to this, they just finished the women's 20K race walk final and are now working on the women's high jump and men's javelin finals."

Jess remembered the race walk was to have been at The Mall, not the Stadium, but she didn't bother to correct him.

"And the men's 5000 metres is coming up at 1930," Becker added.

"That's it!" Jess exclaimed. "Mo Farah's second race! Everyone's probably already inside waiting to watch him run!"

"That'll make things easier," Connor said.

"No it won't," Matt countered. "That means there'll be loads more spectators inside, loads more trapped and in danger in case of an incursion."

"And loads more to get hurt by the crossfire," Abby pointed out.

"Exactly," Matt concurred. "So we need to avoid using the EMDs if at all possible, yeah?"

Jess shivered at the thought. She wasn't even carrying a weapon, as her job was to be strictly technical, but she was suddenly reminded of the last time she'd held an EMD, when she'd been trapped with Lester, under attack by the predators...

"And be careful of the Stadium's metal girders," Becker weighed in, "because the charge can ricochet." Jess could hear the annoyance in his voice; no doubt the soldier was thinking that once again conventional weapons would've been a better choice. But with all the spectators about, the EMDs were probably safer, all things considered, though they still made Jess nervous.

But she was distracted from these thoughts by the fact that she and the others were finally nearing the Stadium, and the sheer magnitude of it was overwhelming. The Orbit loomed above them, its red metal structure much taller than she could've imagined.

But that's not what was impressing the others.

"There is no queue!" Emily exclaimed as they reached the bridge and headed for the ticket stands. The switchbacks were completely empty, and the one purple-clad Gamesmaker manning the booths did not seem pleased to be there.

"Hey," Matt said as he stepped in front of the teen. "There's been an incident, and you should've received a call. We need to get into the Stadium now."

The boy stared blankly at Matt. "Incident?"

"And I'll need to know where the security viewing room is," Jess blurted out. She had thought of asking Lester to try to look it up for her but realised it probably wasn't worth the headache.

"Security viewing room?" the boy asked blankly.

"You know," Abby prompted, "the broadcast compound? Where all the cameras are being watched?"

"Cameras?"

"Is there someone else available who could assist us please?" Emily asked politely, but Jess could hear the impatience in her friend's voice.

"Not a one." It was the first thing he'd uttered that wasn't a mere repetition. "'Fraid I'm it. Everyone else is inside to watch Mo."

"I knew it," Jess mumbled under her breath.

"Low man on the totem pole, eh?" Connor said. "I feel your pain, mate. So's if you could just let us through, we won't be bugging you no more, yeah?"

But the teen shook his head. "I'm gonna have to...er...make a call first. Hold on." And he disappeared before they could stop him.

"This don't bode well, does it?" Connor quipped, saying aloud Jess's very thoughts.

...

Lester gave a frustrated sigh. "What's taking so long? I made all the necessary calls. They should be letting them straight through."

Becker shook his head. He wished he was there so he could smack the surly Gamesmaker upside the head - really, it sounded like the teen needed to be removed from the gene pool posthaste.

"Here he comes," Abby said over the comms.

Becker sighed. God, how did Jess DO this every day?! It was so frustrating to be unable to see, unable to DO anything.

"Oi! Whatcha-?" Temple blurted out before another voice carried through the comms.

"I'm afraid we're going to have to take this man into custody."

Suddenly the comms exploded with protestations, and it took a moment to realise that it wasn't Temple nor the imbecilic ticket taker who was being seized.

"No, you can't!" "You've got it all wrong!" "He is not the one we want detailed!" "There's been a huge misunderstanding!"

"Great!" Lester grumbled under his breath, hopping out of Jess's chair and frantically rushing back to his office to make additional phone calls. Becker took his place in Jess's seat, the better to see the monitors with. Not that they helped him or the team much...

Finally Matt's voice was heard above the ruckus. "We don't have time for this. Never mind about me. You all need to get inside and take care of that anomaly."

"No, Matt, I am not leaving you!" Emily sounded nearly hysterical over the comms.

"Emily, it's okay," Matt was saying. "I'm not going anywhere. Just go on."

"But we-"

"I know. But you need to go with the team. I'll be fine. In fact, I'll probably be safer out here than all of you."

"But-"

"Emily, you need to go, and you need to go now," he said firmly, leaving little room for argument. "That anomaly needs to be locked and any incursion dealt with before the spectators are put in any further danger. Now here," he said, obviously handing something over. "Abby, you're in charge. Now go."

Becker watched on the screen as one blinking dot - the one with Matt's name attached to it - slowly moved away from the others, which stayed in a small clump where they were, no doubt in some kind of daze over what had just happened. Becker felt incredibly guilty - after all, he'd been the one to suggest that they warn the Games staff to detain Matt's double. Perhaps he should've stuck with his hat suggestion after all.

Yet still the others remained. What were they thinking? Matt had given them an order - it didn't make it any less valid simply because he'd been led away.

"You heard Matt," Becker said forcefully into the comms. "Go!"

This seemed to break the spell.

"Becker's right," Abby said. "C'mon."

But as the dots started to move towards the stadium again, Jess pointed out, "But I still don't know where the cameras are."

"We don't have time for cameras at present," Abby said. "Just...stick with us. And make sure your EMD is set on low - as Matt said, we don't want to accidentally shoot anyone...or ourselves."

EMD? Why on earth did Jess have an EMD? And then it occurred to Becker - Matt must've handed his over to Jess before he was led away, knowing they'd never allow him a weapon in custody.

"Lester, where to?" Abby asked into the comms.

"Er...," Becker stammered awkwardly, trying to decipher the map on the screen. It was one thing to simply track the blackboxes as they travelled along two-dimensional street maps; it was quite another to attempt to interpret the 3-D locations in a stadium which, as displayed by the hub monitors, was nothing more than a giant open oval. No wonder Jess was always searching for blueprints and floorplans to help lead them to the anomalies - the ADD map was next to useless!

Jess, however, must've recognised his confused mumble for she asked, "Becker? Where's Lester?"

"Making calls," he snapped, feeling powerless to help the team.

"Ah, that makes sense," Temple said. "Hopefully he can clear all this up and we can simply pick up Matt on our way out, yeah?"

"We can't worry about Matt right now," Abby said, sounding a bit snippy herself. "Now Becker, can you at least give us a general direction in which to head? Left? Right? Forward?"

"Up!" Emily exclaimed.

And suddenly the dots took off towards what Becker could only assume were the stairs.

...

to be continued

(And happy belated Valentine's Day!)


	54. Ch 54 MONKEY BUSINESS

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 54 - MONKEY BUSINESS

...

Jess spotted the tiny monkey at the same moment Emily did, and they both took off for the stairs without thinking. They passed through the long geometric sails hanging down from the top of the stadium and started running up the stairwell adjacent to the women's toilet, keeping an eye on the hyperactive monkey as he continued to climb higher and higher.

However, before the team reached the second landing, the monkey suddenly made what appeared to be a suicidal leap directly over the transparent purple railing. Jess and the others ran to the edge to see where he'd fallen, but he'd actually only dropped a metre or so, landing on a metal grid, atop which loads of cables were suspended. The grid, which had horizontal pipes suspended across it like playground monkey bars, seemed to stretch on and on in either direction, curving around the stadium for as far as the eye could see, suspended over a long and currently empty corridor.

Empty of people, that is.

A small troop of monkeys could now be seen cavorting along the grid in a tight group, happily swinging from rung to rung above the corridor. Jess simply stared, thankful that they weren't chasing dinosaurs but stunned nonetheless. How were they ever going to collect them all?

Out of the corner of her eye, Jess saw Emily start to raise her EMD, aiming at one of the rambunctious animals. Abby hurried over, lowering Emily's weapon as she ordered, "No! No weapons! Remember?"

Of course, Abby was often advocating for limited weaponry at incursions, but this was different. This time she was actually the one in charge, even though, at the moment, she was simply repeating Matt's order from earlier.

For one or both of these reasons, Emily lowered her EMD before asking, "Then how do you suggest we capture them?"

Unfortunately Abby didn't have an immediate answer.

However, Becker had an immediate question. "What the hell are they?" he asked frantically through the comms.

"Tiny monkeys," Jess quickly responded, knowing how frustrating it could be not to see what was going on.

"_Apidium_, I'm guessing," Connor elaborated. "An early species of tree-dwelling monkeys from the Eocene. Daytime hunters. Travelled in small groups. Hind feet especially adapted to-"

"We don't need a science lesson, Connor," Abby snapped. She then took a steeling breath, stating, "There may be more than we'd like, but at least they're fairly contained. Any brilliant ideas?"

Connor shrugged. "How about the world's oldest motivator?" he suggested, holding up a discarded bag of McDonald's chips. Leaning over the railing, he held out a few to the creatures below, calling, "Here, monkey monkey monkey. Don't you want to try some of these tasty-?"

His sentence ended in a high-pitched yelp as a monkey suddenly swung down from the girder above, snatching the chips from his hand. Connor startled, tossing both the chips bag and his handheld dating calculator; the bag fell noiselessly onto the stairs at their feet, but the calculator went over the railing, bouncing between several metal girders before shattering into numerous pieces upon the cement floor of the corridor down below.

"Oh well, at least we already know what time period we're dealing with, yeah?" Connor said with a shrug, always the optimist.

Jess and the others then turned their attention up to where the tiny stealth monkey had gone, and there, swinging from staircase to staircase above them, were at least twenty more of the hyperactive creatures.

"Shite!" Abby mumbled under her breath before pulling herself together, obviously remembering she was now in charge. "We've got to get this locked before any more come through. Connor, you and O'Rourke go find the anomaly - Becker, can you help lead them to it?" Connor and O'Rourke quickly grabbed the briefcase containing the locking device and hurried down the stairs to the ground level as Abby continued, "Now the rest of you-"

But before she could get out her remaining orders, the stadium was suddenly engulfed in a deafening cheer as Mo Farah was introduced for his big race. The excited roar sent the monkeys scampering in either direction along the corridor - just what they didn't need!

Abby waited a moment, obviously expecting the cheers to reduce in volume, but that didn't seem to be happening. Finally the temporary team leader gestured for everyone to tighten in around her on the stairs so they could hear her as she hollered out her orders. "We've no choice. We're going to have to split up and use the EMDs to bring them down."

Jess waited, half expecting Abby to jump in with her usual protestations before remembering it was Abby herself giving the orders.

"EMDs? But the creatures are on all sides of us," Emily pointed out, gesturing all around at the monkeys. "Are we not likely to shoot one another?"

The thought terrified Jess - she'd seen Becker shot with an EMD, and she knew he was far stronger than she. "How about... what if we all went down to the corridor below?" she quickly suggested. "That way we'd all be shooting up instead of across, meaning we wouldn't be in the crossfire."

"And we could easily travel back and forth as needed," Emily pointed out, "which is difficult from upon these stairs."

"Agreed," Abby said. "And we've got to hurry. We've only got- how long do you think, Jess?"

Jess instantly knew what Abby was asking. "Mo ran the 10K in 27 minutes, so we probably have...say, 12 or 13?" she interpolated.

Abby gave a frustrated sigh, obviously wishing for more time to deal with the incursion before the masses were unleashed. But she gave a resigned nod, ordering, "All right, then let's-"

But her sentence was drowned out by the starting gun - the race had officially begun.

...

"Becker, mate. ... hear me? ... to?"

Temple's voice could barely be heard above the wall of sound coming through the comms. Becker looked at the map, trying to figure out which dots belonged to him and O'Rourke, as Lester came scurrying back over.

"What'd I miss?" Lester asked anxiously, practically shoving Becker out of the hub chair.

The soldier, however, had his own questions. "Did you get everything sorted? Are they going to release Matt?"

Lester nodded as he reached for his earpiece. "It took bloody forever, but I finally got through to them. It were almost as if they hadn't even heard of 'identical twins' before - have they never seen an episode of _Neighbours_? Finally I had to tell them to simply call off the entire detention, but of course who knows how long it'll be before that message actually gets relayed." He suddenly jumped at the blast of an EMD sounding through the comms. "What on earth are they shooting at?"

"Tiny monkeys," Becker explained. "And Temple and O'Rourke were sent to close the anomaly, but I can't give them directions because no one can hear a bloody thing."

Lester nodded and started tentatively tapping out something on the keyboards. Suddenly a loud screech of interference sounded, and Becker yanked off his earpiece, glaring at Lester.

"Sorry," the bureaucrat mumbled under his breath as he continued tapping away. "Try that."

Becker reluctantly put his earpiece back in. While he could still hear the cheers coming through the comms, they were much diminished, and Becker could clearly hear Connor asking, "A little help here, mate!"

"Sorry," Becker said, looking at the map on the monitor. "You need to head right."

The dots started moving...in entirely the wrong direction!

"The OTHER right," Becker snapped.

"Cardinal directions please," Connor suggested.

"West."

The dots turned and started making their way along the south end of the stadium. The other dots had spread out along the eastern side, and Becker was anxious to know how things were going with the rest of the team...and specifically with Jess.

"Here," he said, yanking his earpiece out and handing it to Lester, figuring it was far easier on the eardrums to simply switch earpieces than to have Lester attempt to change the connections. Becker then pointed to where Temple & O'Rourke were on the screen, tracing a path with his finger to the blinking light of the anomaly, and Lester nodded.

"This is Lester," he announced into the comms. "Just keep heading 'round in that same direction till..."

Becker mentally blocked out Lester's voice as he tried to concentrate on the sounds coming through his new comms. The roar of the crowd was much louder than a moment before, as it was now coming through multiple earpieces instead of just two, and there were intermittent shots to be heard as well. He looked at the monitor, which was now at an awkward angle since he was no longer sat in Jess's seat, and tried to get his bearings. Abby, it seemed, had stayed roughly in the centre of the group, no doubt so she could easily get to any of the team who needed her. The others were slowly spreading out in either direction, presumably chasing the monkeys as they scattered. Emily and Jess were the farthest afield, heading north from the others till they were almost to the far curve of the stadium.

Suddenly an EMD was heard, followed immediately by Emily swearing, "Blast!" Two more shots were fired in quick succession before she complained, "What is wrong with it?"

"Do you want mine?" Jess was heard to say. After a moment, another shot was heard.

"They cannot be out of range," Emily grumbled, releasing several more shots, obviously to no avail.

Becker couldn't help but smile. After Emily had showed him up last week at the Royal Artillery Barracks, it was nice to know that she wasn't quite as perfect a marksman as she'd thought.

But then it hit him. The reason she'd done so well shooting at the birds was because she'd no proper weapons training and had thus aimed straight for them. While that had been exactly what was needed for those long-distance shots, it wasn't working for her now, and Becker guessed why.

"Emily," he said through the comms, "these creatures are at close range and presumably moving fast, so you need to lead your shots."

"Lead my shots?" she snapped. "What does that even mean?"

Knowing how tense things could get in the field, Becker took a deep breath, trying not to snap back. "Don't aim AT the monkey," he patiently explained. "Instead, aim where the monkey will be in half a second. It's needed because it takes time for the charge to-"

He was interrupted by the blast of an EMD followed by an excited "Yes!" and "Good shot, Emily!"

Becker smiled, pleased with himself for both having recognised the problem and solving it long-distance. Perhaps he wasn't quite so useless here at the hub as he'd thought.

...

to be continued


	55. Ch 55 A RACE AGAINST TIME

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 55 - A RACE AGAINST TIME

...

Jess and Emily, it seemed, made a good team. Jess didn't feel particularly comfortable shooting at things that weren't actively trying to eat her, plus she didn't have nearly the aim that Emily had, so she'd voluntarily taken on the role of bird dog, collecting each fallen monkey as Emily brought them down. And bring them down she did, thanks to Becker's shooting advice. Of course, having been so helpful, it was going to make it difficult for Jess to scold him for leaving medical, but that wasn't really her top concern at present.

Instead, as Emily fired yet another shot, Jess heard the wave coming round once again. Although the roar of the crowd was constant, its volume ebbed and flowed with the runners, the cheers following Mo and his competitors as they made their way around the track such that Jess could tell exactly where they were. Of course, this only heightened the tension Jess was feeling, as each lap meant they were that much closer to the end of the race. The end of the empty corridor. The end of their secrecy.

It was amazing to think that 80,000 people were right there, above and in front, separated from the ARC team by only metres. As Jess hurried along the corridor, she periodically took a peek to her left, looking out over the seatbacks to the giant stadium beyond, overwhelmed by the sheer number of people. Yet not a single person had turned his head, not a one had come out to investigate the EMDs. Obviously the roar of the crowd was partly covering up the blasts, but Jess knew that wasn't the real reason - instead, the entire stadium's attention was focused on Mo Farah. The energy of the crowd was palpable, every spectator actively willing their home team runner to take a second gold.

But whether or not he won, the moment the race ended, the spell would be broken. People would start flooding into the corridor, heading for the toilets or concessions. So the race's finish was their deadline, and the wave of cheers, counting down each lap, were like an ominous hourglass that could be heard instead of seen.

Jess simply hoped they could finish in time.

Emily released another shot, and this time the tiny brown monkey that'd been eagerly scurrying up the railings of the upper stairs fell. Unfortunately, instead of merely falling upon the stairs or at their feet, the stunned creatures had landed atop the metal grid suspended above their heads. Jess gave a heavy sigh - this was so not what they needed right now.

"What shall we do?" Emily asked.

"Keep going," Jess said, nodding down the corridor. "I still see one or two more up ahead."

"But how shall you retrieve it by yourself?" Emily asked skeptically.

Jess shrugged. "I'll think of something. Don't worry about it. You go get the rest of them." She then added as an afterthought, "Just know that I might have to go up the stairs."

Emily nodded in understanding. "Be careful," she said as she hurried down the corridor alone.

"Shouldn't I be saying that to you?" Jess called after her, hoping Emily wasn't so intent on downing her next prey that she accidentally shot Jess. Emily seemed far more fervent and focused than usual, although Jess had never actually been with her in the field so perhaps this was normal. But Jess didn't treally have time to worry about Emily - she needed to concentrate on figuring out how to retrieve the monkey. She placed her EMD and Emily's rucksack, in which she'd been collecting the unconscious creatures, on the ground against the wall and stared up at the monkey above her.

The metal grid was suspended at least two metres above the corridor, so there was no way Jess was going to be able to reach it by merely jumping. And even if she climbed the stairs nearby in order to come at it from above, the monkey was too far out to simply grab it, and the grid didn't look sturdy enough to hold Jess's weight. She was starting to panic, knowing she didn't have much time to come up with a solution.

She glanced about the corridor, but she couldn't see anything that would help her reach the monkey. Noticing the door to the Women's toilet, Jess rushed inside. Unfortunately, there wasn't a conveniently placed mop and bucket in the corner, as she'd been hoping there'd be, and a frantic "Dammit!" escaped her lips.

"Jess? You okay? What's wrong?" Becker's worried voice sounded through her comms.

The last thing Jess needed right now was Becker being all over-protective. "I'm fine," she replied shortly, frantically starting to push open the door of every stall, hoping she'd find a broom or a forgotten umbrella inside, something that would help her retrieve the fallen monkey. But all the stalls had to offer were rolls of toilet tissue, which she somehow didn't think would be all that helpful.

And here came the wave of cheers again. Even inside the toilet, the eager cheers were loud and made Jess's heart speed up even more. That was number nine - another three laps around the track and the race would be over, the masses would be unleashed, and all would be lost!

"Jess?" Becker asked again. "What's going on?"

"What's going on?!" Jess repeated back, near hysterics, as she continued to slam open each stall door. "There's a monkey on the grid and I can't get to it from above OR below and there's no mop or broom ANYWHERE and there's only three laps left and I don't-"

"Jess!" Becker interrupted her. "Just stop and take a deep breath."

"A deep breath?!" she snapped, heading back out to the corridor. "I don't have TIME to-"

"Jessica! Breathe!" Startled by his harsh tone, Jess gasped as Becker went on calmly. "So you can't reach the monkey. How far away is it?"

"It's well over a metre above me," Jess said, staring up at the grid. "Maybe closer to two?" She'd never been particularly good at judging distances.

"Okay." It was frustrating how calm he sounded. "And if you get above? How far out?"

Jess ran over and stood under the stairwell, trying to gauge the distance. "Probably a metre? Definitely farther than I can reach."

"All right. Then you'll need something to help you retrieve it."

This infuriated Jess. "Well OBVIOUSLY! What do you think I've been-"

"Jess, breathe!" he ordered again. "Now you said there's no mops or brooms about. What do you have on you?"

"ON me?! What, do you think I have a ladder tucked away in my handbag or some-?"

"That's it!" Becker exclaimed. "Your handbag is one of those long strappy ones, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Jess admitted as the wave of cheers came around once again. Time was running out!

"Then use it, like a lasso or something. Run up the stairs and toss it at the monkey."

"But it's a Givenchy!" she protested even as she rushed up the stairs to attempt it.

Reaching the landing, she leant over the yellow plexiglass railing, looking down at the monkey. Becker was right - under the circumstances, using her handbag was going to be her best choice. Slipping it off her shoulder and over her head, she held onto the long strap and tossed the small blue bag at the creature. It took her several tries, but eventually, leaning completely over the railing, she was able to land it just past the monkey and then slowly pull it towards her on the grid. It was slow going, as both the monkey and the bag kept getting caught up on various wires, but eventually the tiny creature was within reach.

"I got him!" Jess exclaimed, grabbing up the unconscious creature just as the wave of cheers once again rolled towards her. Only this time it didn't pass on by; the runners were entering their final lap, and the cheers were constant now, reaching a new level of excitement.

Peering down from the landing, she saw Emily running back her way along the corridor, two tiny monkeys in her arms. And Abby was now rushing towards them from the opposite direction. Jess scurried down the stairs, reaching the corridor just as the other two girls arrived.

"How'd you do?" Abby asked, hollering to be heard above the crowd.

"I believe these are the last of them," Emily said, gesturing to the two creatures in her arms.

"And we've a whole rucksack full as well," Jess added, slinging it over her shoulder along with her handbag.

Abby nodded, grabbing up the EMD Jess had earlier placed on the ground. "Good. C'mon. We've collected the rest of them, and Connor's located the anomaly. Let's get them back, yeah?"

And the three girls ran down the corridor to the excited cheers of the crowd.

...

With the anomaly locked and the creatures all collected, Becker and Lester allowed themselves the luxury of watching the final moments of the race. Becker wouldn't have thought the ending could be more exciting than Mo's previous race, but even the BBC announcers were over the moon as Mo, for the second time these Games, crossed the finish line first. Becker was thrilled, and Lester, too, forgot himself, nearly returning the soldier's high five before thinking better of it. However, an excited "Yes!" did escape the bureaucrat's lips, and no wonder - their Team GB runner had won AND the ARC team had managed to secure the creatures without incident.

"We're going to need better directions than 'Yes'," Abby replied impatiently through the comms, a sharp reminder that their job wasn't yet finished.

"Sorry," Becker quickly replied, returning his attention to the map with the flashing dots. "Continue going south down the corridor and follow the curve towards the-"

"The corridor is starting to fill with people," Emily commented.

"C'mon," Abby said, "we can't let them spot the creatures."

And Becker watched as the three dots on the screen made an abrupt change in direction, soon emerging outside the oval which represented the stadium upon the map.

"Just continue heading around the southern end of the stadium," Becker instructed. "I'll let you know when you're getting close."

"Copy, Becker," Abby said as she led the other two around.

"So," Jess began hesitantly into the comms, "Mo did win, yes?"

"Yes, it was brilliant," Lester blurted out before clearing his throat, adding calmly, "The nation should be proud."

"Wish we'd seen it," Jess said wistfully, and Becker made a mental note to try and find a video of the race for Jess to watch when she returned.

"How far is the anomaly?" Emily asked, her mind clearly still focused on the job.

"Much farther, I'm afraid," Becker replied as Lester zoomed out of the map to show what slow progress they were making. "Travelling around the perimeter is going to take you much longer."

"Understood," Abby said. "And Emily, keep your EMD down - we're drawing weird looks."

"I think that's due to these," Jess said, making Becker once again long for visuals. "They seem to be waking up."

"Well, just make sure they stay in there," Abby instructed. "The last thing we need is for one of those _Apidium_ to get loose in this crowd."

"What about mine?" Emily asked.

"Um," Abby said, clearly stalling for time as she considered the question, "Jess, you got any more room in there?"

"I don't think so. Can't you wrap them in your jacket or something?"

Becker strained to watch as the three dots on the screen came to a halt, no doubt attempting to sort out the monkeys. Being thus blind to their activities was beyond frustrating, and he longed for some camera feeds!

"Can they escape?"

"No. I shall be able to contain them. But I do not think I can continue to carry-"

"I'll carry it," Jess offered.

"C'mon," Abby said impatiently. "We're starting to draw attention to ourselves."

"Um...wasn't the race thrilling?" Jess suddenly blurted out in a highly exaggerated voice.

"What?" Emily clearly hadn't caught on, but Becker had.

"Talk about the race," Becker instructed. "Then you'll fit right in and no one will give you a second glance."

"Mo was positively brilliant, yeah?" Jess said again, her voice louder than normal to carry through the crowd.

"Even better than last week," Abby agreed enthusiastically.

"He has made us proud," Emily concurred.

"Wait, you lot got to see the race?" Temple's whiny voice suddenly sounded through the comms. "That ain't fair!"

"Connor, where'd you come from?" Abby asked, and Becker realised that another flashing dot had joined the three girls'.

"Where d'you think? The anomaly, where YOU sent me."

"Yes, but why aren't you there now? You were meant to-"

"Don't worry. O'Rourke and the others are there, putting the rest of the _Apidium_ back through. But it's kinda tricky to find 'cuz it's like a maze in there under the stadium, so I figured I'd come lead the way for you guys."

"Aw, thanks, Connor," Abby gushed before remembering she was still in charge. She quickly changed her tone to a more professional one to add, "Good thinking. Lead the way."

"Oh, and one of them's hurt," Connor said. "Not a team member," he hastily clarified, "an _Apidium_. You'll want to take a look at it."

"It'll have to wait till we get back to the ARC," Abby said, clearly taking her role of leader seriously. "We need to finish up here so we can go get Matt back."

Becker watched as the four dots began moving again, slowly approaching the anomaly.

"So what's this about you lot seeing the race?" Connor asked.

Becker rolled his eyes - with or without visuals, Temple was just as annoying!

...

to be continued

_[Author's Note: I need to give a special shout-out to my mom, who helped me come up with the handbag idea (and even cut out a newspaper advert of assorted strappy handbags for me to choose from!) Also, I owe a debt of gratitude to all those strangers who attended events at the Stadium and publicly posted their personal photos and videos so I could experience a first-hand point-of-view!]_


	56. Ch 56 RELEASED & RELIEVED

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 56 - RELEASED & RELIEVED

...

As the team emerged from the stadium, having successfully placed all the monkeys, save the injured one, back through the anomaly, Connor asked, "So what's the plan?"

Jess merely replied with a tired sigh. After what they'd just been through, she wasn't exactly looking forward to a big showdown with the Gamesmakers.

Bur perhaps a showdown wouldn't be necessary.

"Everything's been taken care of on this end," Lester confirmed over the comms. "I called off the detention, so there shouldn't be a problem getting Matt back."

"Famous last words," Abby mumbled under her breath. Jess could tell her flatmate was eager to hand the reins of command back over and wasn't relishing this last task ahead of her. "So where's he being held?"

"I just got off the phone with Games security, and it sounds like they've already released him outside the gate."

Emily's pace suddenly quickened, and Jess practically had to run to keep up with her. The entire team swiftly made their way out through the Stadium gates and instantly began scanning the nearby area. But search as they might, they couldn't find Matt anywhere. There were more people mingling about than there'd been before the big race, but there weren't so many as to lose someone in the crowd, which unfortunately meant that Matt simply wasn't about.

"He's not here, Lester," Abby sighed with frustration.

Emily had obviously come to the same conclusion for she started storming back towards the ticket booths, murderous intent in her eyes as she headed straight for the surly teen who'd caused Matt to be seized in the first place.

"Emily, stop!" Jess called after her friend, anxious to prevent her from doing something they'd all regret "It's okay. We've the wrong gate."

The former Victorian turned and simply stared, clearly not comprehending.

And apparently she wasn't the only one. "What do you mean, Jess?" Abby asked.

"These aren't the only gates, remember? Although we've exited the Stadium, we're still inside the Park. Chances are they wouldn't set him free here, yeah? I bet they've released him outside Greenway Gate, near the car park."

"Makes sense," Connor concurred.

"Then let's go," Abby decided, although Emily had already set off. As the ARC team rushed after her, Jess fervently hoped she'd been correct with her assessment; otherwise, she feared Emily might explode...or at the very least shoot someone!

Therefore Jess breathed a sigh of relief as they exited the outer gate to Olympic Park and saw Matt waiting along the greenway.

"Well?" he asked anxiously, walking towards the others as they approached. "Is everything okay? Did you sort out the-"

He never finished his sentence for Emily was suddenly in his arms, passionately kissing him. Jess couldn't help but smile, pleased to witness firsthand confirmation that the couple had indeed resolved their differences from the other night.

As their lips finally parted, Jess overheard Matt murmur quietly to the girl in his arms, "See? I promised I wasn't going anywhere, yeah?"

Emily nodded, and Matt gave her another quick kiss for good measure before letting her go and turning to the others. "So?" he prompted.

"So!" Connor teased, grinning.

Abby, however, quickly stepped up, answering matter-of-factly, "The incursion's been taken care of. _Apidium_ - tiny monkeys from the Eocene. They've all been put back through except for one, which was injured. The anomaly's locked, and O'Rourke's been left to guard it for now. It's well-secluded, down in the interior practice track underneath the stadium, and we managed to haul some curtains around it so it should be relatively well hid. No injuries, and I'm fairly certain no one saw anything."

"'Cept for Mo winning, of course," Connor added helpfully.

Matt nodded as he grabbed his EMD back. "Good job, everyone. And thanks for taking the lead, Abby."

The blonde smiled and nodded, clearly relieved that Matt was back in charge.

"Let's get back to the ARC, then, yeah?" Matt continued as he started to lead the way to the car park, tenderly taking hold of Emily's hand.

As they reached the 4x4s, Abby sidled up next to Jess, asking, "Think I can take a look at the injured creature on the ride back?"

Jess nodded, handing the rucksack over to her friend. Clearly Abby was happy to once again focus on what she cared about most.

As was Emily, who refused to let go of Matt's hand for the entire ride back to the ARC.

...

Once the team were safely in their vehicles, headed back to the ARC, Lester gave a sigh of relief and leant back in his chair.

If only Becker could relax! But he wasn't going to breathe easy until he saw Jess with his own two eyes. Whilst he knew nothing had happened to her, he still needed to see her to believe it.

Removing his earpiece, Lester turned to Becker. "I simply don't know how you've done it."

Becker frowned, not sure what his boss was talking about. "Done what?"

"Worked these long hours! I'm exhausted! The Minister never should've insisted on full coverage 24 / 7 - these double-shifts are liable to kill us all."

_They very nearly did_, Becker thought to himself, cringing as he glanced down at the tube in his arm.

Lester, however, didn't seem to notice. "After all this," the bureaucrat continued, "the entire staff deserve a holiday. A LONG holiday! As a special reward for keeping everything under control during the Games." Lester smiled, as if a sudden thought had just occurred to him. "In fact, why wait? The holidays should start tomorrow."

"Come again?" Becker blinked in surprise.

"Sure, why not? There's only one day left of the Games, and there's not even that many events scheduled. Why keep the place fully staffed? I mean, what could possibly go wrong?"

Becker's mind was instantly flooded with a zillion possible answers to that question, but he merely pointed out, "Jess will KILL you if you mess with her schedule again."

Lester's eyes bugged, clearly finding the notion of an angry Jess terrifying. But after a minute of consideration, he inquired, "I believe the senior staff are assigned to a double shift tomorrow, yes?"

Becker shrugged. He hadn't paid much attention to the schedule in the first place, and he'd completely lost track of it since getting sick.

"Then that's it, " Lester said, clearly coming to a decision. "I'll keep you on tomorrow but send the rest of the additional staff home. I really don't see the need for more than a skeleton crew. That way most of the staff can stay home with their loved ones for the final day of the Games whilst you lot can simply stay on here and watch the Closing Ceremonies together. It's not much, but at least it's something. And that way Parker's own schedule won't change, so she shouldn't be too upset. It's brilliant!" Lester added, obviously more to himself than to the soldier.

Becker didn't necessarily agree, but he wasn't about to contradict his guv'nor.

"Now," Lester went on, turning towards the soldier, "we need to get you back to medical before the team gets back - Parker sounded none too pleased that you'd escaped."

That was certainly true. But Becker wasn't budging. "I'm not going anywhere, not till Je-the team get back."

Lester raised a wry eyebrow. "Need to be certain _'the team' _make it back in one piece, hmm? Very well." Lester slid out of Jess's chair and headed for his office, calling back over his shoulder, "But if Parker decides to kill you for not being in medical, the management accepts no responsibility."

Becker rolled his eyes and slid into the seat Lester had just vacated, glancing up at the map still displayed on the monitor. The flashing dots were well on their way back to the ARC, though they weren't moving nearly fast enough for his liking. Lester must've closed the comms link for there was no longer chatter in his ear, and Becker sighed, longing to hear Jess's voice. But then he remembered how sad she'd sounded over the comms about missing Mo's big finish, so he instantly started typing on the keyboard in front of him, hoping to find a video of the race. Unfortunately, he wasn't particularly good at navigating the internet and was still searching when he heard Jess's voice behind him.

"Why aren't you in medical?" she demanded, scurrying down the stairs as the rest of the returning team flooded the upper deck. "Did you even get leave to come to Ops? Or did you punch a medic to make your-mmm!"

Becker had spun about in his chair the instant he'd heard her arrive, soaking in her presence with his eyes. But merely seeing her hadn't quite satisfied, so the moment she came within easy reach, he pulled her to him, stopping her words with a kiss. Logically he'd known she was okay, but actually feeling her lips against his let him finally start to believe it.

"Oi!" Of course, leave it to Temple to break the spell! "What's with all the snogging tonight? WE'RE the ones engaged here!"

Abby sighed, rolling her eyes. "C'mon, Connor. Follow me." She nodded her head towards the menagerie, her hands otherwise occupied by a small, furry creature which Becker guessed was the injured monkey.

As Connor smiled and eagerly scampered after his fiance, Jess turned back towards Becker, scolding, "Don't think a kiss is getting you out of your reprimand, Mister!"

Becker raised an eyebrow. "Says the field coordinator who abandoned her post to recklessly go out with the team."

"What?!" Jess looked indignant. "I didn't abandon-!"

"How about," Matt quickly stepped in, "you two call it even and simply get Becker back to medical, yeah?"

Becker nodded, pleased with the compromise. He was more than willing to forego Jess's scolding in exchange for more kisses in medical.

After all, he could still use a bit more convincing that she was really safe!

...

to be continued


	57. Ch 57 BACK ON SCHEDULE

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 57 - BACK ON SCHEDULE

...

Jess was pleased to find Becker sleeping soundly when she arrived in medical at midnight.

She still couldn't believe he'd hauled his infusion pump all the way down to Ops during the anomaly. What had he been thinking? He easily could've injured himself! After she'd delivered him safely back to where he belonged, she'd returned to where SHE belonged for the rest of her shift. While it had been exciting to go out with the team, she'd definitely been glad to be back at the hub - HER hub - back where she felt comfortable and knew precisely what she was doing! She wondered if Becker had felt the same sense of Freaky-Friday-like appreciation for her work that she now felt for his, though she wasn't about to wake him merely to inquire.

Unfortunately she woke him anyway, even though she'd been trying her best to be quiet.

"What are you doing?" his groggy voice sounded through the darkness, causing her to jump as she pulled the spare gurney closer to his.

"Getting ready for bed."

Becker shook his head and sat up, flipping on the light. "You should go home, Jess." He must've seen her frown for he reached out and took her hand, saying, "It's not that I don't like having you here. But you'll sleep better at home, on a real bed."

_I'd sleep better with you_, she thought to herself as she gave a wistful sigh.

Becker smiled. "I'll be out of here soon enough," he said, as if having read her mind. "But you really should go home tonight. You haven't slept in a real bed since, what, Wednesday?"

"Has it been that long?" Jess asked, thinking back and realising he was right. The last time she'd been home was the morning after their date, the morning she'd been certain they were through. It seemed like an age had gone by since, and she yawned as she recalled all that had happened.

"See?" Becker said, raising a stern eyebrow. "You're tired and need your sleep. I'll be fine here, really. In fact, I'm feeling almost human again."

"Better than feeling like a dinosaur, I suppose," she teased.

"Guess that depends on the dinosaur," he said drily, causing her to laugh. It felt so good to see her happy, he squeezed her hand, adding, "By the way, I didn't get a chance to say it earlier, but I'm really proud of you, Jess. You were brilliant out there tonight."

Jess shrugged, embarrassed. "I don't really think I was cut out for field work."

"Are you kidding? You were truly brilliant. I mean, let's face it - I can't think of one of my men who could've captured a monkey simply by using his designer handbag."

Jess laughed and playfully swatted him. "Don't be mean."

"I'm not," he insisted, his tone growing serious once again. "You were resourceful and got the job done. That's the most I can ask from my soldiers."

"Well, just so you don't go getting any ideas, I'm not planning on volunteering for more field work anytime soon."

Becker gave a sigh, mumbling under his breath, "That's a relief."

"Hey! I thought you said I did a good job."

"You did," he nodded, looking sheepish. "But I'd rather have you back at the hub, back where I don't have to worry about you."

Of course they both knew that the ARC itself was full of dangers, but Jess didn't point this out. Instead, she teased, "You mean back where I can give the team decent directions?" Now it was his turn to playfully swat, but she leapt out of the way, giggling. "By the way, I found a video of the race - we all watched it together. Such a thrill, Mo winning again. Oh, and how mental is this? After all the confusion over Matt's double tonight, and guess what? It turns out Mo Farah has an identical twin! What are the odds, yeah?"

Becker shook his head. "Definitely glad to have you back at the hub." He pulled her closer, adding, "Now give me a goodnight kiss and go home."

Jess laughed. "I can tell you're feeling better." Becker raised a curious eyebrow, and she explained, "You're back to your old bossy self."

"Bossy?" Becker scoffed. "That's more like the pot calling the kettle black, don't you think?"

"I'm not bossy," she insisted, giving him a quick peck before ordering, "Now take care and get some sleep. You need to get better."

Becker nodded solemnly. "That's definitely one order I'll be happy to follow."

...

Becker awoke early to the medic prepping his arm for a blood draw. The soldier would've complained about the ungodly hour, but the early test meant that the results were back even before Jess arrived for her shift. He was planning to surprise her with his good news as soon as she arrived, but her worried expression upon entering medical made him instantly change his mind.

"What's wrong?" he asked, rushing to her side.

"It's the schedule," she said, clearly upset. "It's fallen completely apart."

Becker silently cursed Lester before putting a comforting hand on Jess's shoulder, reminding her, "It's the last day of the Games. And Lester was sure we'd be able to make do with just a skeleton-"

Jess shook her head. "I'm not talking about the work schedule. I'm talking about the FLAT schedule. With me gone these last few nights, no one's even bothering to follow it anymore. With us both gone, it seems Abby and Connor have completely taken over our under-table nest! And I'm not entirely certain where Matt's been sleeping these past few nights, but I could've sworn I saw him removing his sleeping bag from my bedroom when I arrived. Then there was a huge queue for the showers this morning because no one took theirs when scheduled, and Connor's coffee didn't even get made before we left! It was a total disaster!"

During all this, Becker had placed his arm about her and led her across the room. He didn't think it wise to point out that no one had really been following the flat schedule since last week anyway OR that she herself had completely abandoned it by staying here to look after him, as such reminders would surely make her more upset, especially in her current coffee-deprived state. So instead he simply sat her upon the gurney and gave her a kiss.

It took her some time before she pulled away, suddenly realising, "Wait! Why are you out of bed? And what happened to your drip?"

Becker smiled. "I've been cut loose. My blood tests show the bacteria are no longer in my system."

The look of sheer joy and relief on her face made Becker kiss her again. It felt so good to have her back in his arms! It'd been entirely too long since he'd held her close, unencumbered by either illness or intravenous tubes, and thus he felt he simply couldn't get enough of her touch. He probably would have crawled atop her on the gurney had Mel not interrupted them.

"Oi! You call that 'light duty'?"

Becker sheepishly pulled away, helping Jess to sit back up, as Mel continued.

"Now remember, I'll want to see you every few days for further bloodwork. You're not out of the woods just yet, especially as we don't know what to expect from these prehistoric bacteria."

Becker nodded, wishing Jess hadn't heard, for he didn't want her to worry. But instead of growing upset, she seemed almost relieved that she'd something to do, pledging to the medic, "I'll make sure he comes in. In fact, let's set up a schedule now."

Becker rolled his eyes as the two girls hurried into the medic's office to consult a calendar. When Jess returned a few minutes later, she began to give him a brief lecture, the same one Mel had given him earlier, insisting how he must take it easy for awhile and how...

He was grateful that he could simply stop Jess's scolding with a kiss. When they came up for air, she'd mostly forgotten the points she'd been trying to make and instead began, "I brought in some clean clothes for you, just in case, though don't think you're actually going to work today. You're to do nothing more strenuous than sit with me at the hub and watch the Olympics."

"Medic's orders?"

Jess shook her head. "Lester's, actually. He wants us all to enjoy this final day of the Games together."

Becker smiled. "Well, thank goodness the LOC is still on schedule. What events do they have in store for us today?"

"The women's modern pentathlon, for one. Their first event, fencing, is to start," she glanced at her watch before exclaiming, "oh! ten minutes ago, and the rest are scheduled throughout the day. Then we've only a few short hours to kill before the Closing Ceremonies."

Becker nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

And at this happy thought, it was Jess who initiated their next kiss.

...

to be continued


	58. Ch 58 COMING TO A CLOSE

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 58 - COMING TO A CLOSE

...

Jess set up the hub's monitors to display the Games and placed chairs about so everyone could have a good view of the events. The ARC was eerily quiet, with only the senior staff supplementing the standard weekend skeleton crew, but after the excitement of last night, everyone was eager to sit back, relax, and enjoy the final day.

Not the Jess could actually relax, despite the fact that Becker was now sat beside her, his IV out and his medical release signed. She, of course, was pleased and relieved that he was better, but it seemed to only free her imagination to worry about other things.

And there was plenty to keep her worried. There was, of course, the failed flat schedule, though that wasn't her biggest concern after spending the night at home. She was now obsessing more about what Emily had mentioned as the two girls had drifted off to sleep.

Matt, it seemed, was now torturing himself, convinced he'd made the wrong decision by staying to tend to Becker instead of going after his future self. Emily felt certain his guilt stemmed not from what he could have personally gained by such an encounter but from the perception that he'd let the rest of the team - if not the entire world - down. Of course, the fact that Matt still had his father's voice echoing in his head, telling him that the mission was the only thing that mattered, certainly wasn't helping alleviate his guilt any.

Not that Emily had actually said all this in so many words. But Jess had been able to glean an understanding from the few things her friend had say. And it was easy to recognise in Matt the same concerns that had been going through her own mind ever since Becker's collapse. Whenever there'd been time to think, Jess had been consumed with a neverending series of "If I'd only..."

But obviously she couldn't mention any of this to Becker. She knew he had his own guilt to deal with, and it was only to get worse now that he was physically feeling better. Becker tended to take the weight of the world upon his shoulders, and she was certain he was not yet strong enough to do so.

Yet in addition to feeling overly protective about his well-being, she was also feeling guilty, for a part of her felt that he was responsible for what had happened. Not for everything, of course - she still shouldered much of the blame herself - but she kept thinking that if he'd only told her he was sick from the start, much of what had happened could've been prevented.

Then again, if she hadn't been so upset about their failed date, she might not have been so proactive in searching for Matt's double and thus might not have located him in the first place. So now that she thought about it, Becker was essentially the cause of both finding and losing the doppelganger, so perhaps it all evened out in the end.

Though it wasn't quite the end. There was still one more day of the Games, one more day for Jess to redeem herself, to rehack back into the camera feeds and locate Matt's double once again. If she'd done it once, surely she could do it a second time, right? And then Matt could stop feeling guilty, Becker could stop feeling guilty, even she could stop feeling guilty.

So whilst the others lounged about, soaking in the final events and enjoying their relaxing day, Jess was sat with her mobile on her lap, discretely attempting yet another hacking job. The LOC may have detected the source of the original hacking and locked out the ARC computers, but that didn't mean she couldn't find a way to sneak in using cellular means. And she was able to use the excuse that she was simply trying to catch up on her correspondence and social networking, which she'd sorely neglected these past few weeks, so her friends didn't even question her being on her mobile all day.

A part of her knew it was silly to resume her hacking project at this late stage in the game. It was almost like buying a travel guide on the last day of one's holiday. Even if she were successful, the camera access wasn't liable to do them much good, as the Games would be over by tonight. But the futility of it all was outweighed by the fact that it made Jess feel good to know she was doing her best for the team. If she wasn't successful in her hacking attempts, at least she'd feel better for having tried.

And if she did succeed, Connor would probably be forever indebted to her for supplying him backstage footage of the Spice Girls reunion!

..

"Can you believe it?" Jess gushed as Becker and the others gathered about the hub one final time for a late supper. The last match had been played, the last race had been run, the last medal had been awarded, and now all that was left of the 2012 Olympic Games were the Closing Ceremonies. It had been a grueling two and a half weeks, but now only the celebrations remained. Thinking back, Becker couldn't believe how much had happened since Lester had made his fateful announcement that Monday morning, and he was relieved that they'd made it through alive, if not entirely unscathed!

"I'm so proud of us - third overall in the medal ratings!" Jess went on excitedly. "I'm thoroughly gobsmacked that Team GB did so well!"

Becker couldn't help but smile, not just because of his own sense of patriotic pride but because Jess was back to her cheerful self again. She'd seemed mildly distracted all day, as if something more than the schedule were on her mind, so it was a relief to see her so joyful once more.

And as often happened, her enthusiasm was contagious.

"The whole nation should be pleased," Emily said, looking rather pleased herself.

Matt nodded. "Even the Minister."

"Oh, he is," Jess confirmed. "Lester called me today to say the Minister has approved some extra research funding for the ARC in special thanks for doing such a brilliant job with the anomalies during the Games."

"Extra research funding?" Temple asked, his eyes a-glow. "Just wait till I tell Abby!"

"Where is she, by the way?" Jess asked. "She wasn't about all afternoon. Where's she been hiding herself?"

"Off taking care of the little one, I s'pose," Connor answered.

Becker raised an inquiring eyebrow as Emily asked, "Pardon?"

"The injured monkey. I have the feeling we've just added yet another pet to our private menagerie. Good thing we're moving into our own place tomorrow, yeah?"

Jess laughed. "Well, she'd better hurry or she's going to miss the start."

As if on cue, Abby suddenly appeared in Ops, a queer look upon his face.

"So how's our little _Apidium_?" Connor asked, greeting his fiance with a kiss. "He's gonna make it, yeah?"

But Abby shook her head, absently mumbling, "But he's not."

Jess gave a sharp gasp. "He's dying?" she whimpered, causing Becker to place a comforting arm about her shoulders.

"What?" Abby asked, seemingly confused. "Someone's dying?"

"The _Apidium_," Connor said. "You just said he's not gonna make it."

Finally catching on, Abby clarified, "Oh no, I didn't mean he's not as in he's not going to make it; I meant he's not an _Apidium_."

"He's not?" Temple asked.

Becker sighed, worried that some sort of bad "he's on first" routine was about to commence, but luckily Matt prevented it by asking, "Then what is he?"

Abby shook her head. "I've no idea. I've spent all afternoon doing internet research, but it doesn't seem like there's anything like him in the fossil record."

"What does that mean?" Emily asked.

"Nothing good," Becker grumbled under his breath.

"That don't mean nothing," Connor said dismissively. "They're discovering new species every day. They probably just haven't uncovered this little guy's relatives yet. I'm sure they'll find 'em any day now in one of the Eocene digs."

"But is he even Eocene?" Abby asked. "Did we ever get a date reading on that anomaly?"

"No, I totally forgot," Jess said, jumping up and sliding into her chair at the hub, her fingers instantly flying across the keyboard. "Since we'd identified - or at least THOUGHT we'd identified - the creatures, it didn't even occur to me to take a reading when I got back."

_Because she was too busy helping me get back to medical_, Becker thought with some guilt as he and the others gathered about the field coordinator.

"So what's the date, Jess?" Matt asked anxiously.

But Becker noticed her brow crinkle and knew it wasn't going to be good news. "It's not Eocene, is it?" Becker asked.

Jess shook her head. "It's not giving me ANY date," she said, her fingers still frantically tapping away.

"You mean...?" Matt began, looking worried.

Jess nodded. "And that's not all. It seems the anomaly's no longer locked."

"What?" Emily asked.

"Where's Scott?" Becker demanded, starting to put two and two together. "He's meant to be on guard duty."

"What reason would he have to unlock the anomaly?" Matt asked.

"And not just why, but how?" Abby asked. "I mean, I wasn't even aware he knew how to work the locking device."

"Scott, can you read me?" Jess asked into the comms before shaking her head, exclaiming, "He's not answering," as the klaxons started to blare.

"No need to sound the alarm, Jess," Temple teased. "We're all right here - we know what's what."

"But I didn't," Jess insisted.

Becker turned his worried glance from her to the monitors, where she was now zooming in on a map.

"It's a new anomaly," Jess announced. "At the Aquatic Centre." She turned to them, frantically adding, "Right across from the Stadium!"

...

to be continued


	59. Ch 59 THIRD TIME'S A CHARM

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 59 - THIRD TIME'S A CHARM

...

As far as Jess was concerned, the only positive thing about the anomaly manifesting itself where it had was that the team knew precisely how to get there, leaving her free to worry about other things.

Most especially that Becker had been allowed to go out with the team!.

"I have to go," Becker had stated firmly as he'd tossed out the blackboxes to the others, retaining one for himself. "We've only a skeleton crew - you need me."

"I can call in others," Jess had insisted, but Matt had decided they simply couldn't wait. So now Jess was frantically attempting to contact off-duty soldiers whilst trying not to worry about Becker. Unfortunately, every ARC staffer she'd contacted so far was taking full advantage of the night off and thus was not fit to drive a car, yet alone fight dinosaurs.

"Any creature reports?" Abby asked through the comms.

Jess hastily rung off her call with Liam before performing a quick scan of the web. "Nothing so far. The world's attention seems focused on the Stadium."

"I s'pose that's a good thing," Connor commented.

"What time period does this one lead to?" Matt asked.

Jess heaved a frustrated sigh. She was stressed and trying to do too much at once, so she was forgetting simple things that she usually did automatically. Clearly trying to contact each staffer individually was taking too long, so she quickly sent out an ARC-wide SOS text to every staffer, indicating that anyone who was available should contact her. Then, Matt's question having thus reminded her of the future anomaly, she took a quick reading on the newer one as she once again opened a link to the soldier meant to be on guard duty.

"Scott? Can you hear me?"

When she got no response, she switched the radio back to the team at large, announcing, "The remote calculator's reading about 30 million years ago."

"Oligocene," Connor concluded.

"Is that good or bad?" Emily asked, reflecting Jess's own thoughts.

"Well," Connor began tentatively, "I s'pose it could be worse."

"That doesn't sound very encouraging," Becker grumbled under his breath.

Doing a quick internet search, Jess was quickly coming to the same conclusion. "According to this, the period is known for the evolution of carnivores and giant land mammals."

"How giant?" Emily asked.

"We'll know soon enough," Matt said.

But Jess wouldn't - not without the camera feeds. So she snatched up her mobile and frantically returned to the hacking she'd been attempting all day. She'd felt certain she'd almost succeeded by suppertime, but as the Closing Ceremonies had been about to start, she'd stopped before completing her task. But now she returned to it in earnest, even as she heard the radio traffic announce that the team had once again reached Rick Roberts Way and was only moments from parking.

"Jess, did you get in touch with Lester?" Matt asked, the screeching of tyres sounding over the comms. "Do we have clearance to enter?"

"Everything's sorted," Jess confirmed, not mentioning their boss's exact reaction, which would've be inappropriate to repeat in mixed company. "And the hold on you was removed yesterday, Matt, so..." She trailed off, not wanting to jinx the situation by declaring he'd be easily let through.

"Understood, Jess."

"We're parked, Jess, and on our way to the gate now," Becker announced through the comms.

Despite her worry, she couldn't help but smile, imagining that Becker's update had something to do with having felt blind and helpless himself when he'd been sat at the hub last night.

Jess could only hope she wouldn't be blind for much longer.

...

"I've got the strangest feeling of _deja vu_," Temple joked as the team hurried through Greenway Gate into Olympic Park for the third time.

Yet it was no joke for Becker. The last time he'd been here, he'd been delirious with fevre, so he'd seen everything as if through a bad dream. Being back here now, this time in his right mind, everything had an eerie, slightly off quality to it. And the fact that it was dark, with the Stadium glowing in the distance as if with golden faery lights, wasn't helping matters any, nor was the fact that "God Save the Queen" could now be heard upon the wind.

But Becker tried to shake these disconcerted feelings and concentrate on the task ahead. He was determined not to have a repeat of last time, desperate not to let the team down again.

"So what's the plan?" Abby asked Matt.

"We head for the new anomaly," Matt answered.

"But what about the future one?" Emily asked.

Matt shook his head. "We need to see what we're dealing with first." Emily frowned and looked on the verge of protesting, but the team leader went on, "Jess, how do we get there?" After a moment of silence on the comms, Matt prompted, "Jess?"

"Huh? What?"

Becker frowned - clearly Jess's mind was on something else, which seemed out-of-character for her when the team was in the field.

"Directions, Jess," Matt repeated.

"Oh...uh...right," she replied absently. "Keep heading straight for now. Across form the Orbit, you're going to turn right instead of left this time. There's a bridge over the river there that will take you to the Aquatic Centre."

"Copy, Jess."

Becker took a deep breath as they continued on, seemingly forever, into the heart of Olympic Park. He was growing winded, but so were the others, so hopefully it wasn't a bad sign. He was quickly realising that his stamina was likely to be limited, having been in bed for days, but if they were lucky, they'd get back-up soon.

"Jess, are any others on their way?" he asked, hoping she had good news for them.

"Others?" she asked blankly before continuing, "Oh, yes. At least three soldiers have responded to my ARC-wide SOS, though I've no idea how long till they arrive as they're coming from various locations."

"And Scott?" Emily asked. "Has he yet responded?"

"Hmm? Oh...no, not yet."

Becker gave a frustrated sigh. This was getting ridiculous. What was her problem? Why wasn't Jess focused on the anomaly they were about to face?

Emily was clearly focused. "I feel you should go," she said, turning to Matt. "You need to find out what has happened to Scott."

Matt shook his head. "The other anomaly must to come first."

"WE can handle the new one," Emily said, pulling up short and grabbing Matt's hand so he, too, would stop. "But you must find out what has happened, why the future anomaly has been unlocked."

Becker had slowed his forward progress when they'd stopped, taking the opportunity to catch his breath, and he saw the look of conflict on the team leader's face. Knowing the stadium anomaly led to the future was clearly weighing heavily on Matt's mind, and he seemed torn as to whether he should stick with the team or go off in search of his own answers.

But there seemed to be no conflict in Emily. "Go," she insisted.

"But...," Matt began, but Emily shook her head, stopping his protests with a quick peck.

"I know," she said. "But we shall be fine, and we shall come find you, just as soon as-"

"Matt!" Abby hollered from up ahead, where she and Connor had almost reached the bridge. "You'd best see this."

Becker once again took off at a sprint with Matt and Emily. The flickering golden light of an anomaly could now be seen reflecting off the river, but that's not what Abby was referring to.

Instead, she was pointing to a giant, long-necked creature and its baby standing in the distance.

...

to be continued


	60. Ch 60 SEEING IS BELIEVING

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 60 - SEEING IS BELIEVING

...

"What are those things?" Jess gasped as she stared at the giant long-necked creatures. Her frantic hacking had finally paid off, and she'd just patched the camera feeds from her mobile through to the hub's monitors...though she didn't like what she was now seeing.

"_Indricotherium_." "_Paraceratherium_."

Connor's and Matt's voice sounded simultaneously through the comms at the same exact moment that Becker inquired, "Jess, can you see them?"

"Yes, I just got into the CCTV system through my mobile," she explained, even as she jumped off the camera feed, fearful of being discovered and locked out as she had been the last time. "Now it's a what-_atherium_?" she asked, eager to search for helpful facts on the creature.

"_Indricotherium_, I'm pretty sure," Connor repeated, sounding less certain now that Matt had identified the beasts as something else. "It's a hoofed mammal," he continued as Jess's fingers flew across the keyboard, "distantly related to horses."

"Looks more like a giraffe on steroids," Becker commented.

"Here it is," Jess said, pulling up an article on the creatures. "They're the largest land mammal that ever lived, nicknamed the 'Running Rhino'. The good news is they're herbivorous."

"That doesn't mean they're harmless," Abby pointed out.

"They're solitary creatures, not herd animals," Jess continued, "though their babies stick close for many years. Oh, and Connor, they've recently been renamed _Paraceratherium_ by scientists." So both Connor and Matt had been right.

"Really?" Connor asked, obviously surprised. "I guess I need to update-"

"Let's focus on how to get them back through, yeah?" Matt stated firmly.

"They're a mother and child," Abby pointed out. "That means we'll need to be careful - she's liable to become violent if she fears her calf's in danger."

"They seem calm enough at present," Connor pointed out.

"Yeah, and let's keep them that way," Becker commented.

"Ideas?" Matt asked through the comms.

Although Jess had been scanning various articles about the creatures, nothing was springing to mind.

But obviously Emily had an idea. "Jess, you have access to the camera feeds now - ALL the camera feeds?"

"All the ones at Olympic Park, though I mustn't stay on-"

"Then what has happened to Scott?" Emily barged on.

"Scott?" It took a moment for Jess's mind to switch gears, having been concentrated on getting the cameras working merely so she could view the team. "Oh! That's a good idea."

She immediately hacked back on and located a Stadium camera that showed the interior track. Curtains had been placed about the anomaly, to shield it from anyone who might pass through, but she could still see enough to take in the situation...though she couldn't quite believe it!

"Scott seems to be fine," she reported to the team. "The anomaly's unlocked, as we knew, and Scott's just standing there, his EMD trained at it." Jess quickly jumped off the camera feed as she reopened a comms link to the soldier, asking, "Scott? Scott? Can you hear me?"

"No answer?" Connor asked.

"No," Jess said. Whilst the overly-flirtatious Scott wasn't exactly her favourite soldier, she was still relieved that he wasn't injured, though she was curious as to why he'd unlocked the anomaly...and why he wasn't answering her calls. "I wonder why he-?"

"We don't have time to wonder," Matt cut her off curtly. "He's safe, for now, and he's guarding the anomaly. We can worry about him later - we need to concentrate on the creatures."

"I can keep an eye on him," Jess said, "and if anything comes through-"

"Good plan, Jess," Matt said. "Now let's go take a closer look at these _Paraceratherium_."

Jess hacked into the camera in front of the Aquatic Centre once again to watch the team approaching the giant creatures, making sure to set a timer on her monitor so she wouldn't accidentally stay on too long. Whilst she was anxious to see what was happening, both with the team and with Scott, she was determined not to mess things up this time by getting caught.

The cameras were simply too important to lose, especially as they were their only link to what was happening with the future anomaly.

...

The team cautiously approached the long-necked rhino-like creature. It was stood at the south end of the Aquatic Centre, eating the grass planted upon the side of the building between two large, curved staircases. Seeing a neck the size of a tree trunk stretched out towards the tall, sloped lawn upon which the Olympic rings were displayed was simply surreal, as if a vision from Becker's recent delirium. The baby was stood between its mother's legs, extending its much shorter neck to munch on the grass as well. Yet even the baby was over 2 metres tall, and Becker wondered how on earth they were going to get these giant creatures back through.

Matt was apparently wondering the same thing. "Ideas?" he repeated.

"They need to go back through under their own steam," Emily said, "for they are certainly too large to transport."

"Agreed."

"Yeah, but how do we coax them back?" Becker asked.

"Here, rhino rhino?" Temple joked.

"The baby's been weaned," Abby observed, "otherwise he'd still be suckling. But he'll stick close to his mother, wherever she goes, so we should probably concentrate our energies on her."

Matt nodded. "Especially as she'd be likely to attack if she thought we were trying to take her calf."

"So how do we convince her?" Emily asked.

"Well," Abby began, "now that she's no longer nursing, she'd be fertile again and thus ready to mate."

"And how's that to help us?" Becker asked, exasperated. "I'm fairly certain none of us would 'measure up', and I somehow doubt she could be wooed with a simple box of chocolates."

"Then how about flowers?" Connor asked, rushing over towards the river where several flowering trees had been planted in a row. He pulled out his pocket knife and quickly cut off a long branch, which he then ran up the curving staircase and extended out towards the creature. "Here, pretty girl," Temple called out to her, waving the flowered branch near her head, "these are MUCH tastier than boring old grass."

"Careful, Connor," Abby scolded, clearly worried.

The rhino, however, was intrigued and extended her neck in his direction, taking a large bite from the branch.

"Oi!" Connor exclaimed. "Don't eat the entire bouquet in one sitting! That ain't polite."

Seeing that the plan was liable to work as long as Temple was "well-stalked", Becker nodded towards Emily and Matt, saying simply, "C'mon." The three of them rushed over towards the trees, and Becker began cutting off branch after branch and handing them over. Once all the accessible branches had been removed from the first tree, Emily started back towards Connor as Becker headed for the next tree, allowing himself a glance back towards the creature. Connor had managed to slowly descend the stairs as the rhino lowered her head to continue her snacking. Emily reached Temple's side just as the last of Connor's flowers were being devoured and quickly held up the branches Becker had cut for her, making a seamless transition.

"We'll need more," Matt said, and Becker nodded, cutting branches from the second tree and handing them over to the team leader. As Matt left with an armful, Becker glanced over again, noticing that his fellow team members were now slowly making their way towards the anomaly, followed closely by the creature and her calf. Becker sized up how many more branches were liable to be needed and quickly cut them down before rushing over towards the strange parade. He handed his branches over to the others and then followed along, awed to be walking alongside a leg that was bigger around than him!

"We're almost there, girl," Connor coaxed as they reached the anomaly. "Alright. Now, fetch!" He waved the last branch in front of the creature before tossing it through.

But as the rhino started to head into the flickering gateway, a noise could suddenly be heard coming from the other side. The bellow-like noise was low but strained, and even to Becker's ears it sounded like some sort of distress signal. The calf beneath its mother's legs gave out a cry of his own as his mother reared her neck around and started to bolt. Becker barely had time to dive out of the way of the startled giant before her foot came down where, only a moment before, the solder had been.

A split second later the rest of the team were diving out of the way as yet another beast came through the anomaly. It appeared to be the same species, mostly grown but slightly smaller than the mother, and was limping as blood poured out of a wound on his hind leg.

"It's an adolescent," Abby said, jumping to her feet and hurrying after the creature, "and it's hurt."

The injured beast didn't go far, stopping after only a few steps, obviously in a lot of pain. The mother and calf, however, were already halfway back to the grassy hillside, undoing all the team's hard work.

"Be careful, Abby." This time it was Temple worrying as his fiance approached the wounded animal.

"How was it injured?" Emily asked as Abby stood on her toes to get a closer look.

But the question seemed to answer itself as a loud growl sounded behind them, and Becker and the others turned just in time to see a pack of giant boars leaping through the anomaly.

...

to be continued


	61. Ch 61 WHAT A BOAR

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 61 - WHAT A BOAR

...

"Look out!" Jess exclaimed as she watched the four giant boars suddenly appear through the gateway. Luckily, the team - as well as the rhino-like creatures - acted on instinct and instantly scattered in different directions, distracting the attackers and causing them to pause, not sure which prey to go after first.

And of course, that's when the timer went off, letting Jess know she needed to get off the camera feed. Cutting off her visuals was the last thing she wanted to do, but she knew she must. She logged off the camera and then instantly pulled up the web search she'd done earlier on the _Indricotherium_. She was desperate to know what sort of predators the herbivores had faced during their time so she could identify these new beasts and hopefully give the team information they could use to deal with them.

She listened to the chaotic chatter on the comms as she frantically searched for information on the new creatures, recognising that, for now at least, all the team members were okay. Finally she found what she was looking for and cut in on the radio chatter to give them the information.

"I think they're _Entelodons_," she reported. "They're nicknamed 'pigs from hell', though they're actually only a distant relative of the pig, and they tended to travel in small family units." Jess frowned, realising none of this information was actually useful for the team. She skimmed the article, searching for facts that could help. She thought the part about their strong neck muscles being capable of crushing bone to pulp probably wasn't what the team needed to hear right now, so she skipped straight to, "They're hunters and scavengers, and even cannibals, if given half a chance. Basically they're giant moving waste disposal units." After all, food had seemed to be a good motivator for the _Indricotherium_, so perhaps the team could use something similar for the boars.

Of course, the boars were likely to see the team members themselves as a tasty snack!

Jess could hear the team discussing possible strategies over the comms. She longed to log back onto the camera feed, but she was nervous that she hadn't allowed enough time to pass. Since she had no other suggestions for the team and was currently blind to their activities, she decided to distract herself by checking on Scott again.

As she logged onto the Stadium camera, she was relieved to see that nothing had changed. Scott was still there, his EMD trained at the unlocked anomaly. Jess tried once again to open a comm link to the soldier, but he didn't answer. "What's his problem?" Jess mumbled to herself, wondering if something had happened to his earpiece to make it malfunction.

It then occurred to her to take a closer look. While it was hard to see at this angle, it almost appeared as if Scott wasn't even wearing his earpiece. She frowned and instantly pulled up the ADD map and, sure enough, Scott's blackbox wasn't even registering. Surely she'd checked that when he'd reported for duty, hadn't she? She searched her memory, trying to think back to the beginning of his shift. That would've been at 4 o'clock, when the US Men's team was beating Spain in basketball, and she distinctly remembered talking to Scott when he'd arrived at his guard post. So what had happened to his blackbox in the meantime, she wondered.

But a holler through the comms made her realise she had more important things to worry about at present. She quickly logged off the Stadium camera, straining to hear what was going on with the team.

"No!" Abby was insisting. "We can't simply let them kill him!"

"It's the circle of life, Abby," Matt commented, and Jess couldn't help but smile as she heard Connor absently start humming the opening song from _The Lion King_.

"She has a point," Emily said, siding with the petite blonde. "If they kill the creature on this side of the gateway, how will we ever get the carcass back through?"

Logging back onto one of the Aquatic Centre cameras, Jess tried to locate the team members through the dim light. They were scattered about as the boars remained near the anomaly, momentarily snuffling the contents of a garbage bin they'd knocked onto its side.

"We simply need to get the _Indricotherium_ back through first," Connor said, "and then the _Entelodons_ are certain to follow."

"And what, you plan to simply toss the rhinos through?" Becker asked impatiently.

"How about-?" Abby began, but she never finished her sentence for suddenly a flock of ducks flew up noisily from the far side of the river, startling the team and causing the boars to abandon their garbage for live prey.

"Look out!" Jess cried as she watched the boars racing towards the waterfowl. "They're heading straight for the bridge!"

...

Becker once again found himself diving out of the way, this time from the giant boars as they started for the river. Although the beasts weren't quite as giant as the other creatures, they were large enough, standing at least as tall as him, their teeth bared, hungry for a snack.

Once the imminent danger of trampling was over, Becker's mind instantly went to the security of others. Jess was right - the boars seemed to be heading straight for the bridge, which led to the rest of the Park. Once across, they could go anywhere, attacking any number of spectators. The team definitely needed to keep them on this side of the bridge, where the number of possible fatalities could be limited, but how? If these boars were anything like their modern counterparts, their hides would be incredibly thick, so the EMDs probably wouldn't be of much use. Yet a simple coaxing with branches wasn't going to suffice with these creatures.

Emily was nearest the bridge, and with the boars heading straight towards her, she immediately leapt into action, rushing towards a nearby bench and shoving it onto its side. The boars paused, confused, which gave the team time to catch up.

"Come on," Emily called out as she hurried towards one of the ticket tents. "Grab anything you can. We need to barricade the bridge to prevent them from crossing."

Becker and the others joined in, grabbing everything they could find and tossing it into the boars' path. Garbage bins, ticket tables, tent poles, shade umbrellas, fences: all the kit that had been used to manage the Olympic crowds was soon jumbled together nearly two metres high, preventing the boars - and anything else - from crossing the bridge.

"So now what?" Abby asked as she took in their handiwork.

Becker, however, was more concerned with the boars themselves. "They seem to be regrouping," he observed.

"And checking out the injured _Indricotherium_ again," Connor pointed out. "They sure got a one-track mind, don't they?"

"Perhaps we could use that to our advantage somehow?" Emily suggested. "With the boars thus distracted, we might be able to-"

"No!" Abby was having none of it. "We're not sacrificing the injured one if we can help it."

Matt frowned. "Abby, we may not have a choice."

"Yeah," Becker concurred, growing frustrated with Abby's constant objections. "Human lives must take precedence."

"What if we could simply deal with one set of creatures at a time?" Connor suggested.

"But how?" Emily asked.

Luckily Matt was already coming up with a solution. "We could lure the _Entelodons_ down that ramp to the river," he said, pointing. "Then we could trap them there until we get the _Paraceratherium_ through, yeah?"

"So how do we get them down the ramp?" Becker asked.

"Ducks to the rescue?" Temple suggested, pitching a rock into the river and causing the few remaining waterfowl to take flight. The boars, who'd been readying to attack the injured rhino again, turned at the flapping of wings and rushed towards the river, this time charging down the nearby boat ramp, being thus blocked from the bridge.

"Quickly," Emily ordered as they all set about barricading the ramp as well, trapping the boars in the confined space.

"Good work, everyone," Matt acknowledged as the team turned away from the trapped predators towards the giant prey, relieved that they could now focus their energies upon a single task. "That should hold them for now, though we'd best get the others through quickly, yeah?"

But as they headed towards the _Indricotherium_, Jess's anxious voice suddenly sounded over the comms. "Matt, you've got to get to the future anomaly NOW!"

...

to be continued


	62. Ch 62 DOUBLE TIME

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 62 - DOUBLE TIME

...

Jess had been nervously watching the team build their makeshift barricade across the bridge when her timer had gone off, so she'd reluctantly jumped off the camera feed. Although anxious about the team, she was more anxious about ensuring she didn't lose her camera access.

After waiting a minute, she hacked onto the Stadium feed, curious to see if anything new was happening with Scott. Peering through the purple curtains, she could see the still unlocked anomaly with Scott standing guard, only this time his EMD wasn't trained at the gateway; instead, he seemed to be concentrating on a small device in his hand.

His mobile! It hadn't even occurred to Jess to try ringing him! She immediately dialled his number even as she logged off the camera feed.

"This is Scott," he answered.

"Scott! What the hell? Why is the anomaly unlocked?" Jess blurted out.

"Parker?"

"Yes, obviously! What on earth do you think you're doing?"

"I'm waiting, just like I was told. Why aren't the others here yet?"

"Others?" Jess repeated blankly, having no idea what he was talking about before going on, "Why did you unlock the anomaly?"

"Geez, Parker - chill! I'm just following orders."

"Scott, your orders were to guard the anomaly and keep it locked."

"Well, those WERE my orders. But that was before Matt showed up."

"Matt?"

"Yeah. Didn't you know? There was some emergency and he had to go through, so he unlocked the anomaly and told me to make sure nothing came out. He said the others would be arriving shortly - isn't that what your SOS text was about?"

Jess wasn't even able to respond, feeling like she'd been punched in the stomach.

Scott, oblivious to her reaction, blithely went on, "By the bye, he took my blackbox and comms, so could someone bring me another set? And you know, it's weird, 'cuz I kinda got the impression he'd be back by now."

The initial shock finally worn off, Jess rung off quickly and immediately contacted the team.

"Matt, you've got to get to the future anomaly NOW!"

"We're a little busy here, Jess," Matt commented.

But Emily must've sensed something for she prompted, "What is it, Jess? Did something happen?"

"It's future Matt," Jess blurted out. "He went through the anomaly. Scott mistook him for you, Matt. You've got to get over there at once."

"Jess is right," Emily said. "If your double went through, you must follow."

"We're undermanned here," Matt said. "We need to get these creatures back first."

"But we must not lose him again," Emily insisted. "Perhaps we should send Scott through after him."

A unison "No!" sounded, and Matt and Becker shared a look before the soldier went on alone.

"We can't risk leaving the anomaly unlocked and unguarded, especially with so many people in the Stadium tonight."

"Becker's right," Matt agreed. "Jess, tell Scott to stay where he is, and we'll be with him as soon as we can. And tell him to lock the anomaly, if he can."

"But-" Emily started to protest, but Jess knew better than to argue.

"Copy, Matt," she replied through the comms as she rung up Scott once more.

...

Becker realised that, more than ever, time was of the essence. They needed to get the creatures - ALL the creatures - back through the anomaly as quickly as possible so that they could get over to the future anomaly. He couldn't believe that once again Matt's double had been so near and yet they'd missed him. If only this anomaly hadn't...

But perhaps it was all connected, Becker realised. Perhaps Matt's double had planned his escape for precisely when the team would be distracted. After all, he'd probably known when this anomaly would appear...and that the team would put the safety of the spectators ahead of all else. But if they could get this anomaly sorted, then perhaps they'd be able to catch up with him, to find out exactly what Matt - THEIR Matt - was meant to do.

So Becker headed straight for the line of trees and began hacking down branches of flowers once again. Emily joined him, but Matt was too busy arguing with Abby, their angry voices echoing across the dark tarmac.

"He's injured," the zoologist was insisting. "We must tend to his wound before we put him back through."

"We've no time," Matt said calmly, though Becker could hear the anxious tension in the team leader's voice. "We need to get him and the others back through posthaste."

"But that's like an automatic death sentence," Abby protested.

Matt shrugged. "If the anomaly hadn't been here, he'd've been dead already," he pointed out.

Abby opened her mouth to speak, but her fiance quickly stepped in. "What about a compromise, yeah?" he suggested. "We send him back, but we give him a headstart? That way he might have a chance, and we can simply let nature sort it out."

Abby gave a reluctant nod as Becker and Emily approached, their arms full. As Emily handed over half her branches to Matt, he stated, "The rest of us can start with the mother and child; that'll give you time to tend to the adolescent's wound if you want. But we're not stalling any longer."

Abby nodded and ran off with Connor towards the adolescent as the others headed for the building, where the mother was once again snacking on the grassy lawn. Emily scurried up the curved stairs and held out her branches as Connor had done before, but the creature was obviously spooked from what had happened last time and ignored her.

After several tries, Emily called down, "What now?"

"The calf?" Matt suggested.

Becker was nearest so he approached the baby - who, despite its age, stood taller than the soldier - and offered up his branch. The calf, who'd been attempting to get some milk from his mother but was being sorely rejected, took an instant interest in the rustling of leaves and began to munch on them. Becker slowly led the animal out from under his mother, making sure to stay on the far side so the larger beast wouldn't see him and attack. Eventually she noticed her child starting to wander and gave him a nudge with her long neck, making Becker jump out of the way so as not to be stepped on.

Luckily, Matt had hurried over to the mother and, whilst her neck was still lowered, offered her more leaves. This time she didn't refuse, and Emily quickly joined him, leading the creature slowly back towards the anomaly. The calf, not wanting to be left behind, quickly abandoned Becker's branch in order to catch up with his mother.

Realising Matt and Emily had everything under control, the soldier quickly hurried over to the adolescent.

"How's he doing?" he asked.

Abby shrugged. "There's not much I can do, but I've slowed the bleeding - hopefully that'll be enough."

"It'll have to be," Matt said, joining them after a minute, the other creatures having been safely delivered through the gateway. "It's time to get him through."

Becker handed his remaining branches over to Abby so she could be the one to lead the injured animal towards the anomaly. It was slow going, as the wounded creature was obviously in a lot of pain, but Abby kept petting his long neck and talking in a soothing voice, and in a short time, the creature was through.

As the team turned back towards the river, ready to take on their next task, Connor asked on Abby's behalf, "So how long a headstart do we give him?"

"None, apparently!" Emily exclaimed as the boars suddenly broke through the barricade.

...

to be continued


	63. Ch 63 THE FINAL RACE

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 63 - THE FINAL RACE

...

After talking to Scott again, Jess had decided to ring Lester. He obviously didn't seem pleased with this turn of events, but when he asked if he should come in, Jess encouraged him not to.

"Don't bother - there's nothing you could do here," Jess said, feeling helpless herself.

Lester gave a frustrated sigh. "How soon until they can get to the future anomaly?"

"I'm not sure," Jess said, logging onto an Aquatic Centre feed and watching as Becker started to lead the calf away with an armful of flowers. Suddenly the larger creature swung her head down, knocking into her baby, and Jess gave a startled gasp.

"What is it?" Lester asked frantically.

But Jess could see that Becker had gotten out of the way and Matt now had the mother under control, so she quickly reassured, "Oh, it's nothing. They're fine."

"Good." Lester sounded relieved himself. "So how long until back-up arrives?"

Being thus reminded of the three soldiers who'd responded to her SOS, Jess did a quick accounting of their whereabouts. "They're almost to the Park," she announced.

"Excellent. Then they can take over creature detail so Matt and the others can get to the future anomaly."

Jess didn't ask if Lester was okay with the idea of Matt following his double through - it was clear where their guv'nor stood on the matter.

"Have the Gamesmakers been informed of what's going on?" Lester continued.

"No," Jess said, surprised at his inquiry. "I thought the Minister wanted us to keep all our ARC activities quiet during the Games."

"Yes, but if those wild boars, or whatever they're called, got through the barricade - or worse yet, if a future predator came through the Stadium anomaly whilst the Closing Ceremonies were in full swing - it'd be good to have some sort of back-up from the security people on-site."

The sudden thought of a future predator loose in the Stadium made Jess's blood run cold. The ARC rarely sought outside help for assistance during emergencies, but in this case it definitely seemed warranted.

"I'll contact them straightaway," Jess said.

"Good. Keep me informed."

After ringing off, Jess quickly searched for a number for Games security and instantly rung them up before planning what she was going to say, so when the line was answered, she stammered, "Um...yes...my name is Jess Parker...and I...uh...work for a government agency called the ARC-"

"Ah, yes," the man on the line said. "I take it you're checking to see if we've followed through."

"Followed through?" Jess repeated blankly.

"Your man already spoke to us about the possible security situation. But don't worry - we've done as you've asked. We've posted several men near the door to the interior track, and we're having Games staff keep everyone far from the Aquatic Centre until you give us the all-clear."

Jess sat in her chair, stunned. She knew neither Lester nor Matt - nor even Scott - had contacted Olympic security, so "your man" could only mean one person. But why would future Matt request such assistance?

Then it occurred to her. He must've known the Oligocene anomaly would open, and he'd wanted to use the opportunity to get away. But leaving the future anomaly unlocked, with only one guard behind, was a risk to the spectators, as were any Oligocene creatures that might come through. And regardless of what had happened to him, obviously future Matt was still Matt, and he clearly didn't want to risk the lives and well-beings of others simply to accomplish his own ends.

"Was there anything more you needed from us?" the security man was asking Jess.

"N-no," she stammered, "no, thank you for your assistance...and your discretion."

"Absolutely. Just let us know when the situation has abated."

Jess agreed and rung off. She debated whether she should tell Matt as she hacked onto an Aquatic Centre camera once again...just in time to see the boars breaking through the barricade!

...

Becker took one look at the 2-metre-tall rampaging beasts and instantly sprung into action. As the others scrambled out of the boars' path, he and Matt turned in unison and started sprinting towards the anomaly.

"Connor," Matt hollered over his shoulder as he and Becker matched strides, "get the locking device ready!"

Becker could sense Temple behind them, rushing to prepare the device, but the soldier didn't turn to look. Instead, he focused all his energy on getting to the anomaly as quickly as possible.

Of course, this wasn't the first time Becker had sprinted alongside Matt, though it was certainly the first time since Becker had fallen ill. Prior to that, the two men had been making their daily run together for almost a fortnight. Although most of their early morning outings had obviously been at a much less hectic pace, a few of them had resulted in all-out sprints, due to each of them trying to out-run their own inner demons. Unfortunately, this time the demons were very real, and gaining fast, but Becker and Matt were suitably prepared.

The sounds of the galloping hooves upon the tarmac were getting closer with each passing second, and Becker could swear he could practically feel the breath of the snarling beasts on his neck, yet he ran on, refusing to look behind him. He could hear Jess and the others frantically urging him on, but they weren't the only ones making noise. The night air was filled with the cheers and music of the Closing Ceremonies echoing out of the nearby Stadium, and it almost felt as if the Olympic attendees themselves were spectators to this final race of the Games. Becker now had an idea of what it must feel like to be an Olympic runner...although the consequences of losing this race were far more dire.

Although he and Matt said nothing, they silently communicated their plan. As they neared the gateway, the boars practically nipping at their heels, the two men dived in opposite directions, causing the boars to run headlong through the anomaly.

"Now!" Matt hollered from the ground from where he'd rolled, and the anomaly suddenly shrank to a shimmering, golden ball as the locking device was employed.

"Are you okay?" Jess asked frantically through the comms as the others rushed to them.

Becker had a cramp in his side, his lungs hurt from the exertion of the run, and his leg muscles were throbbing, having spent the last several days in bed, but he quickly reassured, "I'm fine, Jess," as Abby gave him a hand up.

"Now we must get to the future anomaly," Emily said the moment she'd helped Matt to his feet, clearly not wanting to waste any time.

Matt nodded. "Connor, you stay here," he began, but Jess interrupted him.

"He doesn't need to," she insisted. "Duggan, McShea, and Neela just arrived at the Park. I gave them instructions to head straight to you. They can sort things out with the anomaly so you can get to the Stadium."

Becker smiled, pleased Jess was thinking ahead.

"Then let's go," Matt said, and the team all headed for the bridge.

But as they neared it, they realised there was one last obstacle for them to get through.

The barricade!

...

to be continued


	64. Ch 64 OVER & UNDER & THROUGH

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 64 - OVER & UNDER & THROUGH

...

Jess was on the line with Neela, instructing her and the other soldiers across the bridge.

"It's blocked," Neela said. "We'll have to go around."

"You've no time," Jess insisted. "Matt and the others are on the far side, and they need to get through as well. Just start dismantling it. And hurry-"

She was interrupted by a cry suddenly sounding through the comms, followed immediately by Matt's frantic, "Emily!"

Anxious to see what had happened to her friend, Jess quickly hacked onto one of the camera feeds. It appeared that Emily, having reached the barricade first, had attempted to scale it. Unfortunately, her foot had broken through a piece of fencing and she'd fallen such that her leg was now trapped amidst twisted metal. Matt and Becker were climbing up after her in an attempt to extract her, but the bench Becker stepped on tipped over with his weight, causing him to lose his balance and come crashing down as well.

"Careful!" Jess exclaimed, wishing she could be there to help.

"Going over is too dangerous," Abby insisted as she and Connor helped Becker back to his feet. "We need to dismantle it."

"Neela and the others are working on dismantling it from the other side," Jess announced.

She watched with relief as Emily was finally pulled free of the debris and helped back down to the ground. The girl's leg was bleeding, but that seemed to be the least of her worries at present. "Dismantling will take too long!" Emily persisted.

"We've no other choice," Matt said, grabbing a garbage bin and rolling it away across the tarmac.

Jess watched helplessly as the two teams slowly began to remove the assorted items from either side of the large pile. Her timer went off and she logged off the camera, realising that merely watching them wasn't doing much good. But as she stared blankly at the simple ADD map in front of her, an image of yet another barricade flashed through her mind.

"I've got it!" she exclaimed into the comms. "Try going under it!"

"What?" Matt asked.

"Jess, there's no way-" Abby began, but Jess cut her off.

"Gavroche did it," she insisted, "and so can you."

"Jess is right," Emily said. "If we can pick our way underneath the barricade, we shall get through quicker."

"Who the hell's Gavroche?" Becker asked, obviously never having seen or even read _Les Mis_, though Jess decided now was probably not the best time for a literature lesson.

Besides, it sounded like Emily was already attempting the plan.

"Emily, be careful!" Matt called out, and Jess quickly hacked back onto the camera just in time to see Emily disappear into the mass of debris. Jess quickly told Neela and the others to stop their dismantling, as she didn't want the structure to suddenly come collapsing down upon Emily like a giant Jenga game.

After a minute, a triumphant Emily cried, "I am through." She then picked her way back through the rubble and poked her head back out to exclaim, "Follow me!"

The others cautiously squeezed their way through the rubble, and soon all the ARC members were upon the far side of the barricade.

"You lot stay here," Matt told the other soldiers as he and the rest of the senior staff rushed off towards the Stadium.

"Okay, Neela," Jess began, "you should crawl through and guard the anomaly whilst Duggan and McShea dismantle the rest of the barricade." Even though the Olympics were almost over, she imagined the Gamesmakers would be none too pleased if the ARC left such a mess behind.

"Understood," Neela replied, and Jess could hear the soldier passing on the order to the others.

But Jess had already logged off the Aquatic Centre camera, her focus now turned towards the Stadium...and the prospect of catching future Matt.

...

As the team sprinted across the Park towards the Stadium gates, Becker noticed numerous Olympic security staff maintaining a wide perimeter about the Orbit and the Stadium gates, keeping all the spectators far from the Aquatic Centre.

"Jess, did you contact Games security?" he asked.

"No," Jess replied through the comms. "Matt did."

Everyone turned to stare at the team leader, realising the implications of Jess's simple statement. Matt had been with the team the entire time since they'd arrived, so it was clear whom she meant.

"He knew," Emily stated, and Matt merely nodded.

"Good to know your evil twin's on our team, yeah?" Temple said, giving their leader a comforting pat on the shoulder as they ran on.

Becker rolled his eyes, although he knew where Connor was coming from. Obviously everyone had been worried, on some level, that Matt's doppelganger was up to something nefarious. But by contacting security, by attempting to protect the innocent spectators from whatever creatures might emerge, the man's actions seemed to imply that his intentions weren't dangerous. If he'd wanted to, the double could've wreaked total havoc with the fore-knowledge that the two anomalies would be open at the same time, but instead he'd sought to minimise any damage he might cause by slipping through. And per Jess, even Scott seemed unharmed, though Becker knew he'd have to prevent himself from giving the soldier a proper beating for allowing their one chance to slip away.

The team hurried on towards the stadium, caught up in their own thoughts about the deeper meaning of it all. Although the sun had long since set, the stadium was a-glow with such bright lights that it seemed as bright as day, and the fact that the opening strains of "Here Comes the Sun" were filling the night air only emphasised this. Of course, they were now headed towards a very different sort of glowing object, and none of them knew what they might find on the other side.

At least getting through the Stadium gates was a breeze this time: Becker didn't collapse, Matt wasn't seized, and an incursion of tiny monkeys wasn't waiting for them on the far side. Yet everyone seemed far more tense as the reality of what they were about to face started to hit home. The anomaly inside led to the future, a future that not even Matt could be certain of. He'd been told to "Go back," and now he was finally being given the opportunity to do so, though the why and the wherefore were still decidedly unclear.

But there was no time to dwell on it; Becker knew they simply must charge ahead and deal with whatever came their way.

Connor led the team around the southern end of the stadium. Having only seen this area via the nearly useless ARC map, Becker couldn't help projecting back to last night's incursion, re-imagining all he'd overheard on the comms with these visuals now in mind.

Not that he could hear much over comms at present. Being up close to the giant, flag-draped stadium, the sounds of the cheers from inside were overpowering. Becker and the others had to rely on Temple's mad gestures as they ducked under the covered backside of the stadium.

The outer door was being manned by two Games security staff, but a wave of their EMDs meant the team were allowed to pass through unquestioned. Once inside, the sound pollution was much abated, allowing them to hear Jess's urgent appeals through the comms.

"The anomaly's growing weaker," she was frantically trying to communicate. "You need to get there quickly."

But the maze of corridors was filled with more security guards, and Becker began to wonder if Matt's double had deliberately placed them there as obstacles to slow the team's progress. However, upon reflection, the facts seemed to suggest this wasn't the case. After all, the anomaly to the future had been left open, with only one ARC soldier left to stand guard - it was obvious Scott alone would not have been able to stop a pack of predators if they'd escaped, so no doubt the doppelganger had arranged for this additional security for the safety of all. But regardless of his initial intent, the security guards were now getting in their way, something the team didn't need at present.

Especially with Jess continuing to urge them on. "It might close any minute. You need to get there now."

Finally, after yet another turn, they emerged through a door onto the practice track. Surrounded by gray brick walls, the reddish-orange spongy track had white lines marking out six lanes, where the competitors had prepared themselves before heading out to their big race. But for the ARC team, the ultimate race was happening right here, right now. Down at the far end of the track, several purple curtains were set up, through which the quickly fading shards of the open anomaly could be seen. Becker and the others sprinted down the track, hoping they weren't too late.

Scott suddenly appeared, his mobile to his ear, no doubt following orders from Jess. He pulled back one of the purple curtains, allowing the others to see the entire anomaly as it began to expand and contract, starting to give up the ghost.

And before they could reach it, the anomaly gave one last flash before blinking out of existence.

...

to be continued


	65. Ch 65 LEFT BEHIND

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 65 - LEFT BEHIND

...

"No!"

The entire ARC team cried out as one as the anomaly disappeared before their eyes. Even Jess, sat by herself at the hub, uttered the anguished word, overcome by the pointlessness of the entire thing. She couldn't believe they'd come so close and had just missed Matt's double by mere seconds.

But what if they hadn't? What if Matt and the others had arrived at the anomaly in time and followed the doppelganger through? They now would've been stranded in the future, with no way to get back home. Jess felt a chill run down her spine, imagining how she might've felt had she just watched the anomaly close with her friends on the other side.

All things considered, this was a much better scenario.

Not that she felt the need to tell them that now. Instead, she merely watched on the monitors as her friends stared at the wall where the anomaly had just been, feeling the waves of grief that seemed to roll off of them. Jess no longer cared about jumping off the camera feed - after all, what would it matter if she got discovered? Future Matt was gone, and the Olympics would be officially over in a matter of hours. So Jess continued to watch, longing to be there with her friends but knowing there was nothing she could do for them.

Finally it was Connor who first broke the uncomfortable silence. "So..."

Matt nodded, as if being awakened from a daze, and gave a heavy sigh. "So...I guess that's it, then."

"No!" Emily insisted. "Surely that cannot be the end. We must be able to do something. Anything! Find another anomaly. Or reopen this one somehow." Emily rushed to the locking device and frantically started hitting every button. "We cannot simply give up when we were so close."

"Emily," Matt said, grabbing her hands to stop their frenetic typing. "There's nothing more we can do. Not right now, at least. We'll simply have to wait for another anomaly to open up, yeah?"

But she didn't seem satisfied with this answer. "But we have already waited so long. We cannot simply-"

"Matt," Becker's grave voice interrupted. The soldier had knelt down at the locking device the moment Matt had pulled Emily away and was now staring intently at something. "Take a look."

The others all rushed over, crowding about Becker and, unfortunately, blocking Jess's view. She gave a frustrated sigh before realising that, even if she could see, she probably wouldn't recognise what she was looking at, for no one there seemed to.

"What is it?" Emily asked.

"Let me see," Matt said, and over Scott's shoulder Jess was able to make out a small device in the team leader's hand.

"It looks electronic," Abby observed.

"Give it here," Connor said, examining it for a minute before stating hesitantly, "Yeah, it's likely digital, though it's nothing I've seen before."

"Nor you, apparently," Emily said to Matt, and Jess instantly realised the implications.

"It's from the future," Jess blurted out over the comms. "The other Matt must've left it."

"Yeah, but why?" Becker asked. "Was it intentional, or merely an accident?"

Matt turned to Scott, asking, "Did you notice anything?"

Scott shook his head. "Not really. You just...HE just unlocked the device like normal. I didn't notice anything strange or out of the ordinary."

Of course, he also hadn't noticed that the man wasn't the real Matt, so Jess wasn't sure how much they could rely on Scott's witness statements.

"Could it be a message?" Emily asked. "Could he have left it for you?"

Matt shrugged. "That's probably what I would've done...or will do," he finished uncomfortably.

"You think you can read it?" Abby asked her fiance.

Connor shrugged. "I'll give it a try. I mean, if it contains digital info, I can probably figure out how to extract the binary data itself, though decoding it could take some time."

Matt nodded gravely. "Understood."

The team all stared at the small object now in Connor's hand, realising it just might hold the key to the future.

But the sounds from the Stadium, which Jess could hear through the comms, brought her mind back to the present. A children's choir was now singing, a gentle reminder that the Closing Ceremonies were continuing only metres away from where the team stood. The melodic, meaningful lyrics filled the air and made Jess pause:

_Imagine all the people _

_ Living for today._

For the moment, that's all any of them could do.

...

The second the lift doors opened, Temple rushed out, frantically calling to Jess, "Please tell me I ain't missed it."

"No worries," she reassured him as she made her way across Ops to greet the team. "You made it in time."

"Thank God," Temple said, leaping down the stairs and over to the hub, leaving the rest of the team in the dust.

Becker raised an inquiring eyebrow at the approaching field coordinator. "What was that all about?"

"The Spice Girls, of course." Jess reached the soldier's side and leant in to give him a welcome kiss, but his frown must've stopped her. "What?" she asked, pulling back. "Don't tell me you don't like the Spice Girls."

An image of Posh in a ridiculously short black frock momentarily flashed through Becker's mind before he shook his head. "I don't really care about them one way or another. But doesn't Temple have other things he should be working on right now?" The soldier had obsessed about the mysterious digital device the entire drive back to the ARC, wondering what it would tell them...and if they would actually be better off not knowing. But of course there was no going back now - they must find out what Matt's message was, and as soon as possible.

So Temple shouldn't be wasting his time watching some stupid musical reunion on the telly.

But apparently the others didn't see it that way.

"You heard Connor back there," Matt said. "It may take some time to decode the information."

"And that is after he manages to extract the data." Even Emily was resigned to the fact that they wouldn't get answers overnight.

Becker gave a frustrated sigh. They'd been so close, and he wasn't ready to give up just yet.

"C'mon," Jess said, taking his hand and starting to lead him towards the hub. "Don't be such a spoilsport. The Games are nearly done - let's just have one moment of celebration, yeah? Connor can start work on the device tomorrow."

"Not tomorrow," Abby pointed out. "We're moving tomorrow, remember?"

"Blimey, I'd totally forgotten," Connor said. "Uggh! I'm so not looking forward to lugging all them boxes."

"We'll help," Matt volunteered. "After all, Lester's given us all a holiday."

Becker sighed - helping his friends move was the last thing he wanted to do on his first day away from the ARC. Besides, his mind was still on Matt's message.

However, even Emily had let it go, for she turned to him, saying pointedly, "A day or two more is not likely to make a difference."

Becker nodded reluctantly, realising he wouldn't win this argument.

"C'mon," Jess repeated, pulling him down into a chair next to her and snuggling against his chest. He put his arm about her shoulders, pulling her close, glad to have her in his arms once again. The past fortnight had been a struggle, what with the Games and sharing the flat and getting sick, and now that he was finally allowing himself to relax, it felt nice to simply enjoy a moment of calm with his friends.

So the ARC team sat together, soaking in _A Symphony of British Music _as one British artist after another appeared on the monitors.

"And just think - we was there," Temple bemoaned. "We should've just stuck around to see it all in person."

Jess gave an indignant cry, and Connor quickly backtracked, "But you're right, Jess, this way we can all be together."

"And probably have better seats, too," Abby said, laying her head upon her fiance's shoulder.

As the acts continued, the stadium was filled with spectacles, and before long, a giant, inflatable octopus filled the stage.

"Whoa! Look at the size of that thing!" Temple grinned at the others before joking, "We did make sure we locked the other anomaly behind us, right?"

The field coordinator nodded, but Becker noticed her taking out her mobile and surreptitiously sending a quick text to Neela. Once she was finished, Becker pulled her closer, grateful that Jess was simply Jess.

"You know," she began, smiling up at him, "I'm just relieved you and Matt were faster."

Becker frowned in confusion. "Faster?"

"Tonight's anomaly pretty much epitomised the Olympic motto of 'Faster Higher Stronger'," she explained. "Obviously the tall rhino things-"

"_Indricotherium_," Temple offered helpfully.

"Yes, obviously those were higher, and the giant boars-"

"_Entelodons_."

Becker seethed, but Jess simply grinned and went on unheeded, "-were clearly stronger, so I'm just glad you and Matt were faster."

"I am quite pleased as well," Emily said, grinning at Matt.

"You know, it's too bad the motto wasn't 'Slower Shorter Weaker'," Temple joked, "'cuz we probably would've had an easier time with it."

As Becker rolled his eyes, Abby nudged her fiance, drawing his attention back to the screen. Black cabs had been randomly driving along the stadium's giant blue-lit Union Jack , but now five of them were pulling to a stop in the centre and lighting up.

Temple gasped. "This is it!" he said, excitedly leaning forward.

"Oh, darn it!" Jess mumbled under her breath. When Becker looked down at her, raising an inquiring eyebrow, she shook her head, explaining quietly, "I meant to hack into some exclusive backstage footage for Connor but totally forgot."

Becker laughed and pressed a kiss to her hair. "Don't worry about it. He looks happy enough. And it's not like we didn't have other things to worry about tonight."

Jess nodded, and they both returned their attention to the monitors, where Scary Spice was now proclaiming to the world "what I want, what I really, really want."

And Becker suddenly realised what he wanted.

Whispering into Jess's ear, he asked, "Do you own a black frock?"

Jess smiled up at him, coyly admitting, "I might just own a little Gucci dress. Why?"

Becker shrugged. "I was just thinking, I still owe you a proper date, and maybe we could go-"

"Someplace Posh?" Jess finished with a teasing grin.

Becker smiled as he imagined what might be in store for his future.

...

to be continued


	66. Ch 66 PAST, PRESENTS, & FUTURE

Let the Games Begin

...

Chapter 66 - PAST, PRESENTS, & FUTURE

...

"That was amazing!" Jess gushed as she and her friends entered her flat well past midnight.

Emily nodded. "Yes, the final fireworks display was quite spectacular."

"I don't mean just that," Jess said. "I mean the entire Olympics. All of it! It was just all so...I have no words!"

Unfortunately, Becker seemed in no mood to agree with her sentiments. "Don't blame me," he began, putting his hand on her lower back as they headed up the stairs, "but I'm glad they're over."

"Me, too," Abby concurred with a sigh.

"Oh, you're all such spoilsports!" Connor complained, and Jess was glad that at least someone was on her side.

Emily, however, clearly wasn't for she gave a loud yawn.

"Sorry," the former Victorian quickly apologised, obviously having caught Jess's frown, "but I am exhausted."

Abby nodded. "Yeah, we should probably all head straight to bed."

Connor gave an excited gasp. "And Lester's gone, yeah?" he asked eagerly.

Jess gave a pouty nod. She'd wanted to do something fun to celebrate their last night all together, but clearly that wasn't going to be happening. She slowly followed her soon-to-be-former roomies up the stairs to the second floor as melancholia started setting in.

But as she entered her bedroom and flipped on the light, she saw two gifts - a small, wrapped box and a ribboned gift bag - upon her bed. Even from this distance she could recognise the scrawled "Thanks" as Lester's. Picking up the gift bag, she deciphered the tag and handed the gift to Emily as she entered the room.

"What is this?" her friend asked, peering at the bag warily.

Jess shrugged. "No idea. It's from Lester. He must've stopped back by the flat earlier today when we were all at the ARC." She eagerly sat down on her bed and unwrapped her own gift.

"_De Neuville_!" she exclaimed as she instantly recognised the brown and pink box. Emily gave her an inquiring look, and Jess eagerly held up the French chocolates. "He must've had his wife purchase these before she returned. That's so sweet of him. What'd he get you?"

"Ehm...French perfume."

"Aw, that's lovely," Jess gushed before seeing the disconcerted look upon her friend's face. "Isn't it?"

"I suppose," Emily replied, though clearly she had her reservations.

"So what's the problem?"

"It seems Lester has a keen sense a humour," Emily said as she held up the perfume bottle with its name, "_La Distraction_", in large, flowery type.

Jess laughed, but before she could comment, Connor's surprised, "BLIMEY!" carried down the corridor. Jess and Emily shared a look before bolting out the door towards the other bedroom.

"You okay?" Jess asked as they barged in.

Connor was sitting on the bed as if in shock, so Abby had to answer for him.

"He'll be fine," Abby said, waving a small card. "It seems Lester has left us a gift,"

"Us, too," Jess said.

"What did he leave you?" Emily asked.

"He's ordered a moving company to do all our packing for us," Abby explained. "A thanks for all our hard work these past few weeks."

"That's brilliant!" Jess said.

Abby nodded, patting her fiance on the shoulder since he still seemed in a daze. "They're scheduled to arrive tomorrow at noon. We're to do nothing but be here to point out what goes and what doesn't - everything else will be taken care of."

"That is very kind," Emily said.

Becker suddenly appeared behind them and took Jess's hand, saying, "You need to see this." He led her downstairs to the front room, where Matt was sitting on the sofa.

Only it wasn't HER sofa.

"Where's my sofa?" Jess exclaimed, glancing about as if it might suddenly appear from behind the telly.

"Not sure," Matt said, "but this was on the cushion."

She took the folded note he offered her and read the handwritten message inside:

_Parker, no need to worry. Your secret is safe with me. The U.N shall never know about your torture techniques - the evidence has been destroyed._

"Well?" Becker asked anxiously.

"It's from Lester," she explained with a smile. "To replace my old one."

Matt shook his head. "Such a shame."

Jess frowned. "What do you mean?"

"He gives this to you now and we're leaving tomorrow, so we don't even get to appreciate it."

"Why? Is it comfortable?" Jess asked as she took a seat next to Matt...and instantly sunk into the deep, cuddlesome cushions. Her moan of satisfaction convinced Becker he, too, needed to give it a try, and Jess scooted over to make room for him.

"Heaven," Becker said, laying his head against the soft back and closing his eyes.

"Hey, you can't fall asleep just yet," Jess said, nudging him.

"Jess, it's been kind of a long day," Becker said, his eyes still closed. "Don't forget - I awoke in medical this morning."

Matt, on her other side, nodded. "And we must get up early to help Abby and Connor with their move."

"But we don't," Jess insisted. "Not anymore."

This got Becker's attention, and he raised his head, asking, "What do you mean?"

"Lester ordered a moving company to pack and move everything. And they won't be here till noon. That gives us all morning to have breakfast and say a proper goodbye."

"To whom are you saying goodbye?" Emily asked nervously, having just entered at the tail end of the conversation.

"Just the flat, for now," Matt explained, grabbing Emily's hand and pulling her down practically onto his lap. She blushed and tried to stand back up, but Jess scooted over, pulling her friend down onto the cushion next to her.

"Is this new?" Emily asked.

Jess nodded. "Another gift from Lester."

"Another?" Becker asked, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.

Jess opened her mouth, ready to explain about her chocolates as well as the perfume Emily was already wearing, when Connor's voice was heard from the kitchen. "Hey! Did you lot see these?"

Jess attempted to turn to see what her roomie was referring to but failed, being thus wedged into the sofa between the others. "What is it?"

"_Creme de cacao_," Abby said, bringing the bottles of French liqueur in from the kitchen. "The tag simply says, 'See you all on Tuesday.'"

Jess grinned, pleased that Lester would be playing a part in their farewell party after all. "Nightcap, anyone?"

...

Becker slept soundly, curled up next to Jess on her new sofa. She'd kept everyone up late, discussing their favourite moments of the Olympics, knowing they all could sleep late the next day.

But even though they COULD sleep late, Becker didn't. He awoke early, as if his body were suddenly back on its old schedule. After lying awake in the darkness for some time, simply enjoying the opportunity to hold Jess close once again, he eventually dislodged himself with care from Jess's arms and quietly made his way up to the toilet. Unfortunately it was already occupied, but in an instant the door opened, and both men jumped, clearly not expecting one another.

"Why are you up so early?" Matt asked.

Becker shrugged, not bothering to ask his friend the same thing. "You wanna go for a run?"

Matt raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You up for it?"

"Just as long as there are no boars chasing us."

"Agreed."

Matt headed across the corridor towards Jess's room, clearly having slept inside last night, and Becker raised an amused eyebrow before saying simply, "Meet you downstairs in five?"

They managed to get dressed and leave without awaking the girls, and soon they were out on the pavement, keeping up a slow, steady pace.

But as they paused for a red light, Matt glanced over, asking simply, "What'd you get?"

Becker smiled, knowing exactly what he was asking. "Reservations for two at _Alain Ducasse _for Friday night."

Matt looked impressed. "Lester must've called in a few favours for that!"

Becker nodded. He couldn't wait to surprise Jess with the expensive meal...and to see her sporting her posh frock.

But he shook these images from his mind to politely inquire back, "You?"

"Open reservations at several _chambres d'hotes_ - his note indicated he could finalise the arrangements as soon as we decided when we want to go."

The words were left hanging in the air as the light changed and the two men resumed their run, the implications rattling about in Becker's head. Obviously the team leader wouldn't want to rush off on his Parisian holiday whilst they were still left hanging regarding the message the doppelganger had left behind. Then again, once the message was deciphered, Matt might need to set off immediately on another mission. What a conundrum! Becker was thankful it wasn't his decision to take.

Of course, now that things had started to progress between Matt and Emily, Becker wondered if that would affect Matt's decisions regarding the mission. Becker knew that becoming involved with Jess had definitely changed the way he viewed the world, and he wondered if Matt was experiencing a similar change of heart. Leaving for another time when he had had nothing to tie him here was one thing, but now things were different. Clearly Emily was eager for Matt to pursue his mission, whatever it may be, but would he be willing to pursue it on his own?

"Will you take her with you?" Becker blurted out, his interior thoughts suddenly manifesting themselves.

Matt glanced briefly at Becker before returning his attention to the pavement ahead of them. "Lester did suggest the reservations were for two," he replied drily, the twinkle in his eyes making it clear he knew precisely what Becker had really been asking.

And clear what Matt's real answer was.

The two continued on in silence for some time. Becker was tired, both his legs and his lungs out of practice, having been sick in bed for so many days. Yet it somehow felt good to run on, to exercise his muscles and pull fresh air into his lungs.

Not that he wasn't thankful when they reached yet another red light.

As Becker leant over to catch his breath, Matt asked, "You okay?"

The solder nodded. "Yeah," he said, remembering once again just how close he'd come to dying. But as he straightened up, he noticed Matt had a similar grave expression on his own face, so Becker prompted, "YOU okay?"

Matt studied Becker a moment, as if trying to decide whether to say anything, before beginning tentatively, "Did you notice yesterday...on the device...I thought I detected a faint scent."

Now that he mentioned it, Becker suddenly remembered a subtle floral fragrance when he'd picked up the item from the locking device. It hadn't meant much at the time, but now it seemed to tickle his memory, reminding him of something vaguely familiar.

"Emily's perfume," Becker concluded, finally connecting the scent he'd noticed on the device to that which she'd been wearing last night after they'd returned to the flat..

Matt nodded but said nothing further as the light changed and they started off once again.

So future Matt was still with Emily. Becker found that somewhat reassuring.

Though not so much his next realisation.

"You didn't recognise the device," Becker stated more than asked.

"No. I didn't."

So whatever future his double was from, it wasn't the future Matt had known.

"That's got to be a good sign, yeah?"

Matt shrugged. "We stopped Phillip," he replied simply.

Becker nodded. In that respect, they'd done what they'd needed to. But clearly the race wasn't yet over. Becker, however, knew that whatever happened next, the ARC team had each other and would work together to do whatever needed to be done.

And with this reassuring thought in Becker's head, they finished their run in silence.

...

Matt was glad to finally be back home. He'd been gone much longer than he'd intended, but his mission had been worth it. He was eternally grateful that the Minister had taken his call and agreed to keep the ARC fully staffed during the Games, for he could now be certain that, not only had everyone been kept safe for the duration, but his message had fallen into the correct hands.

Now he had only to wait.

...

THE END

_[Author's Note: I just wanted to extend a big thank you to my mom for giving me story ideas __and most especially Cathleen and Emilyjay for all their brainstorming, suggestions, amazing plot ideas, and basically putting up with me whilst I neurotically read aloud to them for months! Also a special thanks to those readers who took the time to send me reviews on almost every chapter, letting me know there were still people who were interested in reading it - I hope it was worth it!]_


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